Murali Vijay, in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, smashed a 47-ball 74 (including four 4s and four 6s) and stood tall in his side’s 3-wicket victory over the current Ranji Trophy champions. However, for national team, he has been in poor form for some time now and was out of the team since the Boxing Day Test (versus Australia in December 2018). Recalling the omission, Vijay said that he felt ‘devasted and deeply hurt’ by the snub but hopes for a better time in future.
Talking to The Hindu, Vijay stated, “I feel hurt that I am not a part a part of the Indian team. I am not disappointed. But really hurt. I expected to play the Test. In fact, I was sure I would play the Test. I had batted well in the second innings of the second Test at Perth. I felt I was only one innings away from form. I deserved that one chance in the Boxing Day Test. I was full of hope and optimism ahead of the Test. From the vibes I got on the day before the eve of the Melbourne Test. I could sense it from the way the practice session and the nets were shaping out. I was devastated.”
Vijay clearly stated that he doesn’t get threatened by the competition in form of Prithvi Shaw, Vihari and Mayank. However, he could have got more chances before being sidelined. “I have scored nearly 4000 Test runs for the country, I must be pretty good to have done that. I have made runs in difficult conditions, in England and Australia. And I came through a period when Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were there. I don’t feel intimidated by competition. I will have my moments again for India,” opined an optimistic Vijay.
