He was probably reliving moments of his eighth Test century on Saturday that came after five low-key knocks
After the end of the day’s play when Murali Vijay was walking from one end of the Wankhede to another to attend the post-match press conference, he stopped at the pitch, stood in front of the stumps and shadow practiced a couple of shots.
He was probably reliving moments of his eighth Test century on Saturday that came after five low-key knocks. In three out of those five innings, Vijay got out to a short ball, which didn’t trouble him even once during his 136-run knock here in the fourth Test.
The Tamil Nadu opener admitted that the trend of those dismissals did force him to go back and have a deeper look at his technique in dealing with it.
“I did think about it, because I was playing at the balls which I should’ve been leaving generally,” Vijay said here on Saturday, adding that the five-day break between the third and fourth Test helped him re-think.
“There are a lot other factors to it, which I do not want to reveal. But yes, my game plan is to back my core game, believe in that and come back fresh. I played in this Test match the way I wanted to play,” the 32-year-old added.
Assured is how Vijay plays, and he looked just that on Friday and Saturday. He ducked, swayed and left bouncers with aplomb, and it was only in the 77th over of the innings that Vijay played an attacking short off a rising delivery, a hook for a couple to square leg. It was a testimony to his patience and grit.
“This hundred is special because I started off well in this series, and then a couple of matches I couldn’t play the way I wanted to play. I was getting out too early. I just came out in a much clearer mindset in this game, and I just wanted to back my instincts and play,” he said.
Once he passed the short – pun intended – examination Vijay began to open up against the spinners, continuing on Saturday from where he left on the second day. Moeen Ali was his chosen bowler, dancing down the track, driving and even sweeping the England off-spinner for boundaries.
“My game plan is to attack the spinners, because I do not want them to settle in one particular area where they find it comfortable. So, I just wanted to use my feet and use the depth of the crease and play according to my game plan. It came out well, I guess,” he said.
It sure did.
Dedication
Murali Vijay dedicated his eighth hundred in Test cricket to a close friend’s father, who passed away during the first day of the Mumbai Test on Thursday. After completing his address to the media, Vijay made the announcement through a journalist, and revealed only the first name of his friend: Srinath
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