Murali Vijay

It's intriguing how the intellect and brainpower of the same individual is so different when viewed from the perspective of their aptitude. A young, aloof teenager from a studious Tamil family could have brought no greater dishonour to his family than by flunking his Board examinations. In a rather 'filmy' turn of events, Murali Vijay ran away from home and started to work at a snooker place to make ends meet.

He started playing cricket only at the age of 17 at the college level, and caught the eye of Bharat Arun to play junior-level and Ranji Trophy cricket for Tamil Nadu. He made headlines when he was involved in a 462-run partnership for the opening wicket with Abhinav Mukund in a Ranji Trophy game, falling short of the world record by 2 runs. Vijay's potential was immediately recognized and he was handed a Test against Australia in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, at Nagpur in November 2008. He showed a stoic opener's technique against the then-World Champions, scoring 33 and 40, shielding the middle-order from the new ball and putting a price on his wicket. He also showed off his street-smart fielding skills, accounting for the run-outs of Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey.

Vijay is a good timer and tends to stroke the ball with his fore-arms rather than with a strong bottom-hand – a rather rare virtue in the modern day and age. His strength lies in his strong basics, including excellent off-stump awareness, playing close to his body, and not trusting the ball to behave off the pitch. He is also an excellent player of spin, with nimble feet to get to the pitch of the ball and a quick understanding of the length, and can be brutal with his signature loft over long-on.

However, Vijay continued to go in and out of the side and became an injury-replacement specialist for the established pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. He showed a great deal of patience and resolve on the way to his maiden Test hundred against Australia in Bangalore in 2010. However, in the next nine innings he failed to get a fifty and was subsequently shown the door.

At this point, Vijay was at a crossroads – he had been tried in the ODI side but failed to make an impact. Nevertheless, his IPL form was extremely strong, giving his team consistently swift starts, culminating in a 56-ball 127 in the 2010 IPL. He was the highest run-getter in the 2010 Champions League in South Africa, which CSK won. He also had a prolific domestic season in 2012/13, and he was back in the reckoning for the Test side.

So what was it going to be? ODIs were out of the question because he had been tried on a few occasions. He was doing well in T20s and he would continue to play the IPL. However, he was doing well at the Ranji level too. With a packed international calendar, was it really possible for him to focus on all formats of the game? After the heart-break of not making it to the squad for the 2011 World Cup at home, he had made his choice.

The obstinate Vijay had set his eyes on Test cricket.

After Gautam Gambhir was controversially dropped owing to a string of unconverted starts, Vijay was given another extended run in the Test side as the selectors took a gamble because of lack of alternatives. He immediately made a mark scoring a 167 against Australia; his second hundred against them. He went on to make a 150-plus score in the subsequent Test as well and finished a fiercely competitive series as the highest run-getter with 430 runs, thereby repaying the faith of the selectors. He was given another run at his ODI spot in mid-2013, but he failed to make a mark.

He had already proved his mettle at home, having done well in the series against Australia. However, his limited technique was in question before the tour to South Africa. In India's first challenge in the post-Tendulkar era, would he be able to replicate the runs with his technique in overseas conditions?

He answered the sceptical critics with a 97 in the Durban Test, accumulated with grit against a formidable bowling line-up including Dale Steyn and Morne Mokel. He failed to make any big scores in the truncated New Zealand tour, but looked solid at the crease, with no fundamental flaws. He continued his excellent run abroad and translated them into runs by scoring his first overseas Test hundred on a rather placid track at Trent Bridge but against the ever-present swing of James Anderson. On a more challenging grassy wicket at Lord's, Vijay scored a resolved 95 in the 2nd innings to set the platform for an Indian win. In the subsequently forgettable tour for India, Vijay was one of their few rays of hope, ending the series as India's highest run-getter with 402 runs in 5 matches. He continued his fruitful away exploits in Australia, fabled as one of the toughest backyards, and scored 99 in the first Test at Adelaide and followed it up with a career-defining 144 on a seaming Gabba track; the only track on which Virat Kohli, India's highest run-scorer in the series, was found wanting in key technical aspects.

Vijay was one of the more valuable finds of the post-Tendulkar era: a vital cog in the top-order of the team who had consistently proved his mettle in away conditions with his adaptable technique. He could stand up tall on the bouncy pitches of Australia and South Africa, play late to counter the seam movement and pronounced swing of the Dukes ball in British conditions, and play spin exceptionally well with nimble foot movement (a bit of a given for an Indian batsman). With an uncanny resemblance to VVS Laxman's wristy technique, Vijay's was effortless, yet compact. There is a coherence in his batting that makes the delivery a part of the process of the ball getting to the boundary; even a good ball. No slower ball could ever get him out, because he didn't have the last-ball complex. The monk had the ability to phase everything out and just react to the next ball bowled at him.

In India's extended home season after the 2014 series in Australia, Vijay has undergone several injuries, having entered the thirties. His performance has been fairly good as he has been notching up big scores regularly. He went through a lean patch after his 150 in the Bangladesh tour, but responded with a few crucial fifties in conditions where runs were scarce against South Africa at home in 2015. He was struck by a bout of injury again, but continued his rich vein of form in the home series against England, essaying 2 centuries in the five-match series. He struggled for runs against Australia at home once again, but didn't look short on technique.

Despite his topsy-turvy graph in the home season, he is one man who has understood his technique, the limitations it carries, and has managed to play within his boundaries. The rebellious teenager who left home continues to be the rebel, bathing in the glory of his Test success rather than the most glitzy T20s, and making himself the most valuable player at the highest level for the toughest conditions, to the extent that Vijay and Rahane bear a higher onus, than even Virat Kohli overseas.

While his technique is aesthetically pleasing to say the least, there is something more vital that personifies him than his lazy elegance – Murali Vijay is well and truly the calm, dependable figure in India's batting line-up; their all-conditions' expert.

IPL through the years

Murali Vijay made his IPL debut in 2009, where he played only four game. However, he was a vital cog in CSK's successful 2010 campaign as he amassed as many as 458 runs to finish as the second highest run-getter for the side. He also smashed a brilliant hundred at home against Rajasthan Royals in a high-scoring game.

He was the Man of the Match in the final in the 2011 edition as his 52-ball 95 helped his team overcome RCB to clinch the title. He scored a second IPL century, knocking the Delhi Daredevils out of the competition in the 2012 IPL qualifiers. He formed a formidable opening partnership with Michael Hussey for the franchise and scored a good chunk of runs till the 2013 season.

Delhi Daredevils bought him for 5 crore at the 2014 auction, but the investment did not work greatly and he moved to Kings XI Punjab in 2015 and was back among the runs and also was appointed captain of the side later. He missed the 2017 IPL due to injury and was bought back by CSK in 2018 after going unsold on the first day of auctions. He was retained by the franchise for the 2019 edition as well.

By Rishi Roy