India v New Zealand, 1st Test: India Predicted XI

Murali Vijay:

The 31-year old did not have the impact he quite wanted in the tour of the Caribbean after being ruled out courtesy of a finger injury. However, having done fairly well in the TNPL, Vijay will be raring to go in the series against New Zealand.

Despite the fact that Vijay missed the better part of the West Indies series, he is expected to be picked ahead of Shikhar Dhawan. Moreover, the fact that his technique is rather flawless adds brownie points to his selection.

Vijay at the brings a sense of stability, assurance and solidity. He is an equally skilled batsman against both pace and spin and by now knows what the team expects him to do and complements most of his batting partners. That said, Vijay will be expecting to hit the ground running in the first Test and add to the 2637 runs he boasts of in Test matches.