I didn’t get the backing that Virender Sehwag got, whatever he got in his life, I didn’t: Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay feels that had he received the kind of backing Virender Sehwag did from the Indian team management, his career would have panned out differently. At one point, Vijay was one of the most reliable players for India and was one of the mainstays of the Test team.

Vijay, 38, is unlikely to make a comeback to the India team with the kind of talent India possesses. However, at one point in time, he formed a successful opening pair alongside Shikhar Dhawan. He last played a Test during the famous 2018 tour to Australia. He played the first two games and was then replaced by Mayank Agarwal for the final two games. Vijay also played with Sehwag and also reflected on his time batting with him. 

“Consciously, I didn't get the freedom of Virender Sehwag to be honest. Whatever Sehwag got in his life, I didn't. If I could have gotten that kind of backing and open-spreaded talks, I could have also tried. The honest thing is the team's backing and how you can contribute to the team on an international level. It's a high-level competition and you don't have many chances to experiment different ways,” Vijay told Sportstar.

What Sehwag did for Indian cricket was amazing: Murali Vijay

“You've got to be consistent so you've got to have everything as a package and how you're going to mold yourself to the team's demand. When Sehwag was there, I felt controlling my instincts and playing was hard but to see him go through that kind of freedom was something spectacular,” Vijay added.

Even after all this, the cricketer said that he was in awe with how easy Sehwag made batting look. Not many have been able to get a chance of watching carnage from the other end. He said that it wasn’t normal for people to hit a 145 kmph ball for a boundary while singing songs. 

“Only he could have done that. Nobody else I feel could have played like Sehwag. What he did for Indian cricket was amazing. Different… he is something else which I have seen visually. I had the privilege to interact with him. It was so simple. He kept his mantra so simple - See the ball and hit. He was in that mode; singing songs to 145-150 kph bowlers. You are experiencing something else. It’s not normal," Vijay added.

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