Murali Vijay hints his desire to play all formats

Murali Vijay hints his desire to play all formats: Murali Vijay delivered the goods at the top of the order with a match winning 72 as India clinches the series 2-0 with a game to be played. Vijay has cemented his place in the Indian test side with his consistent performances at home and abroad over the years. But he has struggled to replicate his test form in the shorter formats as he has managed a mediocre 326 runs in 16 ODI.

Vijay’s IPL performances remind us of the skills that he possesses to excel in the limited overs cricket as well. Though it’s an uphill task to replace Dhawan and Rohit he could retain his place in the Indian side as a reserve opener. Vijay eyes this series as the best chance to step into the shorter formats; as he said, “I’ve been there or thereabouts in the one-dayers and have been the third opener for quite some time, so this is a good opportunity for me to establish myself as a one-day player, I always wanted to play this format and play all three formats. So it’s just around the corner. You’ve got to wait your turn. I’m not in a hurry, but when I get an opportunity I’m keen to score runs.”

He seems to focus on his batting and believes that would get him a place in the ODI side. He is aware of the opportunities that are about to come and is determined to make those chances count.

“[There are] a lot of variables. I don’t want to think about it now because it’s done and dusted – for me this is a new beginning and I’m looking forward to the opportunities coming for me. I think I’m batting well, which is more important, and I’m enjoying my cricket, so whichever format doesn’t matter to me so long as I’m batting.” He said.

It’s been a different experience for the Indian opener considering the fact that he has been playing more of test matches lately. The Tamil Nadu opener seems to be enjoying his game at the moment as he delivered a vital knock which sealed the series for India. Despite his match winning knock he admitted that he wasn’t in the best of form, he said, “It’s not really [a good return] but I’m enjoying my game so I’m not looking too far ahead. As long as I’m enjoying my cricket I think everything will fall into place. To be honest I was not playing at my best, but according to the conditions we decided not to give early wickets because then the team is under more pressure.”

In the first ODI the Indian team was in a dire situation losing half the side with just 87 on board before Rayudu and Binny came to rescue. India learnt their lessons from the first match as they prevented an early collapse in the 2^nd match. “We thought 260 or 270 was a good score on this wicket because it was getting slower and lower. You saw in the first game we had a bit of a collapse, so we thought rather take time and play our game, so that we give the middle order an opportunity to come and do their job. We did that,” He added.