Murali Vijay set to return to the Test side after a gap of eight months

Murali Vijay will play his first international game since March when he will take the field in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Nagpur. Shikhar Dhawan was preferred over him in the first match thanks to his dominance over the opposition in the recent past. But the left-hander was released from the squad by the team management after he requested to do so owing to the personal reasons. However, this has presented Vijay with an opportunity to strengthen his case ahead of South Africa in January.

The cricketer from Tamil Nadu played the whole series against Australia with the injured wrist and had to miss the Indian Premier League which followed soon. He was picked for the tour of Sri Lanka in August but opted out of the series as he hadn’t recovered from the injury. But he returned in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, the T20 tournament of the State, and proved his fitness. The lad also played the first-class cricket before the first Test and slammed 140. But he was left out from the playing XI at the Eden Gardens

Vijay crucial for India abroad

The form of Murali Vijay will be crucial for India as they will travel abroad for the most part of 2018. He was the pillar for them during their last overseas tours and would love to come back strongly in Nagpur. The ability of the 33-year-old to leave the balls outside the off-stump is impeccable and has played exceptionally well on some of the green tops away from India. He would like to get into the groove before South Africa tour where he will walk into the eleven.

Naturally, Vijay will be nervous when he will walk out to bat in Nagpur on Friday. But he had a decent practice session of over 30 minutes on Wednesday when he faced the seamers of Vidarbha U23 side, Indian spinners and the throwdowns. As the Indian team management has requested for a green top like Eden for the second Test as well, Vijay’s experience will come in handy at the top.