Murali Vijay registers a fifty on County debut with Essex

Indian opener Murali Vijay was axed from the Test side for the first time since 2013 because of his form, a stat which proves that he was a pretty consistent performer. Often called as “The Monk”, the 34-year-old from Tamil Nadu was given the cold shoulder after a string of low scores in the ongoing India-England series, which saw him opt for a different challenge.

He decided to sign up with County Championship Division One side Essex and get a taste of what English domestic cricket feels like. He was off to a flying start in his debut knock against Nottinghamshire and in difficult conditions, the opener made batting look a lot easier than what it was.

With 9 boundaries in the innings, Vijay registered 56 off 95 balls, which isn’t a bad start to a new stint. Although he showed a tremendous amount of courage and class in the knock, the Indian side’s English tour is one day away from culminating. But with the other openers doing poorly, Vijay is well and truly on the radar for a comeback and some more big knocks in the County will help him big time.

50: A debut half-century for Murali Vijay and it comes from 89 balls in 127 minutes, including 8 boundaries! 👏

Essex are 109 for 4 as we approach the end of Day One.#NOTvESS pic.twitter.com/EmRY7XpWOf

— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) September 10, 2018

Essex battling for a first-innings lead

The Essex side got off to a brilliant start, bowling out Nottinghamshire for just 177 runs in their first innings. Although Nottingham found themselves at 104/8 at a point, some gutsy knocks, in the end, Luke Wood and Luke Fletcher helped them fetch a slightly respectable total.

In reply, Essex got off to a flying start with Vijay and Nick Browne dismantling the new ball bowlers. They added 56 runs for the opening wicket before skipper Steven Mullaney broke the partnership and gave his side a lifeline. Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals as Lyndon James picked up three crucial wickets in double-quick time.

Essex finished Day 1 at 133/5, still 44 runs behind their opponents. Some early wickets on Day 2 can make life all the more difficult for Ryan ten Doeschate and side to wipe out the deficit. The first one hour will be very crucial for both the sides on Tuesday.

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