Why dropping Murali Vijay from the squad is the right decision

Not so long ago, Murali Vijay was called the best and probably the most dependable batsman for India in the overseas conditions. He has proved his worth in difficult tours such as South Africa, Australia, England as well as at home. He soon established himself as one of the premier openers not just in India but across the world.

The Vijay of old, even when he is not scoring big runs will look much more assured at the crease which is not the case with him at present. He seems to be struggling with his mind as well as the technique which once made him a potent opener for India.

So in this slideshow, we will look at why the decision to drop him from the squad is the correct one.

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#1 Others are waiting in the wings

Prithvi Shaw could be a future opener

With the presence of KL Rahul, who is often hailed as the 'Next best thing' happening to the Indian Cricket and Shikhar Dhawan, who along with Murali Vijay, have formed the top order for quite some time now. Add to that, the emergence of players like Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal has put tremendous pressure on the trio to perform. So it is safe to say that Murali Vijay will find it difficult to make it back to the Test team.

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#2 Not been in form as of late

Murali Vijay had a pair at Lord's

Those who are following Indian cricket will know that he was one of the pillars of the Test team along with Rahane, Pujara, especially in the overseas conditions. But in the recent tours to South Africa and England, he failed to deliver on a consistent basis. So his omission from the team seems to be a no-brainer.

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#3 A chance to test the bench strength

India 'A' Team

India is a country that has always produced once in a lifetime Batsmen one generation after the other. Hence, the bench of India is of the highest quality. It has a notion of either perform or perish. Vijay has been given a long rope by the team management despite not being productive with the bat in the way they would have hoped for. With the 'A' tours happening more regularly, new top order batsmen are emerging out of such series.

So he will have to perform well in the Ranji Trophy or play in the county to make a comeback into the national team.

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#4 Age Factor

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Murali Vijay is already 34 years old and is not getting any younger. So there is not much left in his international Career. Just like Gautam Gambhir, who was overlooked after some dismal performances the same could be the case for Vijay.

So, its high time that he performs well in the domestic cricket and make a strong comeback to the team after being dropped for the last two Tests.