India opener Murali Vijay retires from international cricket, pays gratitude in 'Thank You' note
Aged 38, stylish India opener Murali Vijay retires from international cricket
Out of favour India opener, Murali Vijay on Monday, January 30th announced his retirement from international cricket. He informed everyone about his decision via social media where he penned down a 'thank you' note for all those who were part of his journey. Vijay was a key member of MS Dhoni’s Test side during his early days as an India captain. Even in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Vijay used to play for Chennai Super Kings, with whom he won two IPL titles in 2010 and 2011 in addition to winning the Champions League in 2010. As an Indian player, Vijay played 61 Tests, 17 ODIs and just nine T20Is.
Vijay came across as a bright prospect back in 2008 when he made his international debut against Australia in both Tests and ODIs. While he took his own to get into the groove, once he got there – there was no lookingback.
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Having scored his first Test century against the mighty Aussies in Bengaluru in 2010, Vijay went on to score 11 more. What’s interesting is that out of those 11, most came on the foreign soil and against tougher bowling line-ups. While on paper his Test average is a notch above 38, it doesn’t reflect his true attributes as a Test opener.
Off the various hundreds to his name, the most famous one had come against England in Trent Bridge in 2014 when he scored 146 off 361 balls. At the mecca of cricket in Lord’s during the same series, Vijay played a brilliant hand of 95 in the first innings, helping India clinch the Test victory at the very venue after decades.
An excellent leaver of the cricket ball, the right-handed Vijay found success in Australia too. While his 99 in the second innings of the first Test in Adelaide during the 2014/15 series is tipped to be one of his best, his 144 at the Gabba in Brisbane is rated as one of his bravest.
Despite being so successful at the top of the order in red-ball cricket, Vijay failed to replicate his form in the shorter formats. In the IPL too, he played for a couple of other franchises since leaving Chennai but couldn’t leave much of an impact. While he played his final Test against Australia in 2018 in Perth, his last Ranji Trophy outing came against Karnatakain 2019.
