"Very harsh for y'all to ask this question" - Murali Vijay rebukes media over MS Dhoni retirement talks

Recently-retired India opener Murali Vijay called out the media for continuously speculating about MS Dhoni’s retirement. The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter feels that players merit space at the fag end of their career.

In the build-up to IPL 2023, the two dominant narratives were players’ workload management and Dhoni potentially playing his last season.

When asked about it, Vijay, in a curt response, said that the press inadvertently puts pressure on individuals by discussing them. As if speaking from personal experience, the 39-year-old took a dig at the supposed fans-turned-detractors who write players off by inciting retirement talks.

“It’s an individual choice. It’s high time people understand what a cricketer is going through. He’s served our country for about 15 years. So we should be giving him space to take that call, rather than putting pressure by asking when he’s going to retire. It’s very harsh for y'all to ask this question. Everybody is asking about MS’ retirement.

"It is so sad for me to sit and answer it. I have retired recently, so I know how it feels. We have given our heart and soul to this game and it’s a personal choice, and I want to tell people to maintain that little bit of privacy,” Murali Vijay told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview organised by Star Sports.

While the nitpickers aren’t really pleased with Dhoni’s fitness, the loyalists are coming from a strange place of curiosity where they want to be mentally prepared for doomsday while also wanting it to never come.

A knee injury, which has restricted his fleet-footed running, has forced MS Dhoni to push himself as low down in the batting order as possible. But his willow-wielding skills haven’t diminished one bit. Among those who have played a minimum of 25 deliveries so far this season, the 41-year-old boasts the second highest strike-rate at 210.71.

Murali Vijay also highlighted how professionals always find a way to work around shortcomings.

“I never thought about these things, I just wanted to go and play. Even now, in my heart, I want to play. The situation you guys have put me in, is making me take those decisions. It’s very hard to give an honest answer. It’s upto each individual; they are all professionals and I am pretty sure they’ll come up with their own plans,” Vijay, who is a commentator with Star Sports for IPL 2023, said.

But who is the right candidate to eventually take the baton from MS Dhoni? The Ex-CSK star didn’t want to delve deep, but he added that the future is in safe hands.

“Anything with cricket is going to grow. Not just CSK, all the franchises have grown in leaps and bounds and I think the future is bright,” Murali Vijay, who spent eight seasons at CSK, remarked.

The move to elevate star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as Dhoni’s successor last season backfired, as the four-time champions finished ninth. Ben Stokes has now emerged as a contender, but the CSK management would definitely bear in mind his fitness and England’s stringent international calendar.

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"There should be communication between players and the selectors" - Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay scored 3982 runs in 61 Tests with 12 hundreds and 15 fifties to boot

On January 30 this year, cricket fans were busy recalling some of Murali Vijay’s best knocks that came in India colours. The Tamil Nadu lad, having last represented the country in December 2018, had brought the curtains down on his storied career.

The decision didn’t come as a bolt from the blue. What did shock many was that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) didn’t even put out a congratulatory post for one of its finest openers.

When quizzed about the same, the look on his face painted a thousand words. Vijay, who even earlier had expressed how playing cricket beyond the age of 30 is seen as a taboo in India, did suggest that he was on the wrong end of the stick when it came to opportunities. He further stated that players shouldn’t be left in the dark by the team management or selectors.

“There should be a fair deal for everybody. There is a lot of cricket left in us and, if you are left out, there should be communication and players should be spoken to. These things should happen and that’s why I am here. I didn’t play for that [BCCI acknowledgement], but my point is there should be communication between players and the selectors,” Murali Vijay concluded.

Vijay last played for India in the Perth Test against Australia on the 2018/19 tour. His final IPL match came for CSK when he scored 10 off 15 balls against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dubai on September 25, 2020.

He recently turned up for the India Maharajas in Legends League Cricket 2023.