Murali Vijay announces retirement from all forms of international cricket 

Former India opener Murali Vijay announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket on Monday, January 30. The 38-year-old shared a note on his official Twitter handle to announce his decision.

Having made his Test debut against Australia in Nagpur in November 2008, Vijay went on to represent India in 61 Tests, scoring 3982 runs at an average of 38.28, with 12 hundreds and 15 fifties to his name.

His last Test was also against the Aussies in Perth in December 2018. The right-handed batter’s career-best score of 167 came against Australia in Hyderabad in March 2013.

Vijay also represented India in 17 ODIs and nine T20Is, but did not taste much success, scoring 339 and 169 runs respectively. He averaged 21.18 in one-dayers and 18.77 in T20Is.

In his official retirement note on Twitter, Vijay wrote:

“Today, immense gratitude and humility, I announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket. My journey from 2002 to 2018 has been the most wonderful years of my life for it was an honour representing India at the highest level of sport.”

He further stated that he is keen to explore new opportunities in the world of cricket and the business side of the game. The note added:

“I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket & the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in new and different environment. I believe that this is the next step in my journey as a cricketer and I look forward to this new chapter in my life.

“I wish all my former teammates and the Indian cricket team all the best for future endeavors.”

Vijay was part of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) last year. He smashed 121 off 66 balls for the Ruby Trichy Warriors against the Nellai Royal Kings in his last match of the season.

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Murali Vijay’s IPL journey

The right-handed batter was a big part of the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) success in the early years of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He represented the franchise from 2009 to 2013 and again from 2018 to 2020.

Vijay was the Player of the Match in the IPL 2011 final, smashing 95 off 52 balls for CSK against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Overall, the cricketer has featured in 106 IPL matches, scoring 2619 runs at an average of 25.93 and a strike rate of 121.87, with two hundreds and 13 fifties.

Apart from CSK, he also represented the Delhi and Punjab franchises in the IPL.