Murali Vijay: 10 things you probably didn't know about him

Vijay has never looked back after once he got selected in the team

7. Mural Vijay’s nickname is Monk

Murali Vijay has earned 'Monk' as his nickname possibly because of his calmness, patience and composure. It is Vijay's true grit and steadfastness that has transformed him into one of the better openers in Test cricket.

And patience has always been a virtue for him. During the early part of his career, Vijay had to wait for his turn as he was always the reserve batsman in the Test squad and got his opportunities only when someone got injured.

But Vijay has also revealed that his nickname could also be possibly attributed to the fact that he had once shaved his head.

8. Murali Vijay’s wife is Dinesh Karthik's ex-wife Nikita

The rumour mills were rife as reports of Vijay's relationship with Nikita, Dinesh Karthik's childhood sweetheart and wife, broke out into the public domain. Almost every newspaper and tabloid latched on to the news and churned out salacious details.

This culminated with Vijay later marrying Nikita, something for which Vijay believes he is still seen in a negative light in some quarters. Breaking his long silence on the issue, Vijay said, “Something had gone wrong. I felt it inside me. I didn’t have to say it to others. There were major things happening, of course, and it involved three human beings.

“I thought we handled it well. There was no need to explain to people. Because people are going to talk anyways. And you can’t stop them from talking.”

9. Ishant Sharma was the cause of his most embarrassing moment

Vijay recalls that his most embarrassing moment in life was being hit in the box by Ishant Sharma in his maiden Ranji Trophy match. Vijay still vividly remembers the pain and the embarrassment that the incident brought to him.

“It was very chilly at the Feroz Shah Kotla and I was cramping badly for the rest of the day. And the worst part was, I could not tell anybody about the discomfort," Vijay said.

10. Murali Vijay loves tattoos and Kamal Hasan

Vijay admits that though he was never a movie buff, he absolutely adores Kamal Hasan and has not missed any of his films since he was ten years old. He was one actor whom Vijay desperately wanted to meet when he was young.

And a man of fine tastes, tattooing is one more thing that Vijay absolutely enjoys. He has three tattoos including the one on his left bicep that is his Test number. “I don't want to reveal where the other two are!" he laughs.