Murali Vijay
Encyclopedia
Murali Vijay Krishna (born April 1, 1984 in Madras
(now Chennai), Tamil Nadu
, India
) is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed opening batsman for Tamil Nadu
, Chennai Super Kings
and India
.
debut against Australia
in the Fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
, in Nagpur
, in November 2008. He was selected for the match after Gautam Gambhir
received a one-Test ban for elbowing Shane Watson
in the Third Test of the same series in Feroz Shah Kotla
in Delhi
.
Of Vijay's technique, former Australian captain Allan Border
said "His defensive shots are so assured. And he looks comfortable of both front and back foot. And when he attacks, he doesn't go hard at the deliveries. I can see why this young man is playing".
Vijay partnered Virender Sehwag
, and they got India off to a solid start in both innings. Vijay made 33 and 41, contributing to opening stands of 98 and 116. During Australia's first innings, Vijay caused the first wicket to fall, running out Matthew Hayden
with a direct hit from mid on. Hayden was attempting a quick single. He then ran out Michael Hussey
when fielding at silly point. Hussey was unaware that Vijay had intercepted the ball at close range and instinctively took a step out of his crease in anticipation of a run, by which time Vijay threw down the stumps. In the second innings, he caught Brett Lee
at bat pad from the bowling of Harbhajan Singh
to complete his first catch.
Following his performance in his debut Test, Vijay was selected for the Indian ODI squad for the first three matches against the touring England team. He did not get to play, and was dropped after the first three matches upon the return of senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar
from a break.
In December 2009, Vijay was given another opportunity in the Test team when Gambhir withdrew from the Third and final Test against Sri Lanka at Brabourne Stadium
in Mumbai
in order to attend his sister's wedding. Vijay took two catches at bat pad from Harbhajan in Sri Lanka's first innings. When India replied, he put on 221 for the first wicket with Sehwag, but was out for 87 in sight of his maiden Test century. The Indians went on to complete an innings victory, and become the number 1 Test team.
Vijay was taken on the tour of Bangladesh in January 2010 as the reserve batsman, and he was called into the team after V. V. S. Laxman
injured a finger in the First Test. Vijay played in the Second Test in Mirpur
in Laxman's No. 5 position, scoring 30. In the same match, No. 3 batsman Rahul Dravid
was injured after being hit under the jaw by a bouncer
, so Vijay then played in Dravid's position in the two-Test home series against South Africa.
He was later selected as the reserve opener for away series against Sri Lanka in August 2010 and the home series against Australia in October 2010. He played in the Second and Third Tests against Sri Lanka after Gambhir was injured. He got another opportunity when Gambhir, was injured in the first match against Australia and was ruled out of Second Test. Vijay scored 139 runs in the first innings, his maiden Test century, featuring in a triple century partnership with Tendulkar. Vijay and debutant Cheteshwar Pujara
added 72 runs crucial partnership which helped India complete a 2–0 series win.
He started a full series during a tri-nations tournament in Zimbabwe when India rested most of the first-choice team. Vijay performed poorly and was dropped for India's fourth match as they came last behind Zimbabwe.
Vijay was selected for New Zealand 5 ODI series 2010 and he played first 3 ODI in which he scored an average of 30. Later, he was replaced by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel for other 2 ODI matches.
. He fared poorly in India's disastrous campaign averaging just below 15 and failing to provide good starts in all the matches.
. He was one of the key performers for Chennai in the 3rd edition of IPL in 2010 when Chennai were crowned champions. His first century for Chennai Super Kings was in the third season of the IPL
where he scored 127 runs of 56 balls against the Rajasthan Royals
. He was awarded the Man of the Match. In the same year, Vijay had prolific run in the Champions League T20 held in South Africa. Vijay was the top scorer of the tournament with 294 runs. He was instrumental in Chennai winning the cup.
In the fourth season of IPL, he was the man of the match in finals and helped Chennai Super Kings
to win the IPL trophy for the second time in a row. He scored 95 of 52 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixers with a blistering strike rate of 183.
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(now Chennai), Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed opening batsman for Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu cricket team
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Team ; , competes in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy, the top cricketing competition in India. The team finished as runners-up behind Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons establishing themselves as one of the strongest teams in the country...
, Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that plays in the Indian Premier League. Founded in 2008, the team is currently captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricketer. The team's home ground is the M. A...
and India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
.
Test career
Vijay made his TestTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut against Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in the Fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Border-Gavaskar Trophy
The Border–Gavaskar Trophy is a Test cricket series, played between India and Australia. It has witnessed some of the most competitive Test series played in recent years, with results usually either being a narrow win for one of the sides or a closely fought draw...
, in Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
, in November 2008. He was selected for the match after Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir is an Indian cricketer, a batsman. He has been a member of the Indian national cricket team since 2003 and 2004...
received a one-Test ban for elbowing Shane Watson
Shane Watson
Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He mainly bats as an opener in international cricket, although he does not do so domestically....
in the Third Test of the same series in Feroz Shah Kotla
Feroz Shah Kotla
The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla was originally a fortress built by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad. A pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C...
in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Of Vijay's technique, former Australian captain Allan Border
Allan Border
Allan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...
said "His defensive shots are so assured. And he looks comfortable of both front and back foot. And when he attacks, he doesn't go hard at the deliveries. I can see why this young man is playing".
Vijay partnered Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag , affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler...
, and they got India off to a solid start in both innings. Vijay made 33 and 41, contributing to opening stands of 98 and 116. During Australia's first innings, Vijay caused the first wicket to fall, running out Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
with a direct hit from mid on. Hayden was attempting a quick single. He then ran out Michael Hussey
Michael Hussey
Michael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective...
when fielding at silly point. Hussey was unaware that Vijay had intercepted the ball at close range and instinctively took a step out of his crease in anticipation of a run, by which time Vijay threw down the stumps. In the second innings, he caught Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
at bat pad from the bowling of Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
to complete his first catch.
Following his performance in his debut Test, Vijay was selected for the Indian ODI squad for the first three matches against the touring England team. He did not get to play, and was dropped after the first three matches upon the return of senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
from a break.
In December 2009, Vijay was given another opportunity in the Test team when Gambhir withdrew from the Third and final Test against Sri Lanka at Brabourne Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in the Indian city of Mumbai. It is located on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land along Marine Drive near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. The stadium is owned by the Cricket Club of India . Brabourne Stadium is India's first permanent...
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in order to attend his sister's wedding. Vijay took two catches at bat pad from Harbhajan in Sri Lanka's first innings. When India replied, he put on 221 for the first wicket with Sehwag, but was out for 87 in sight of his maiden Test century. The Indians went on to complete an innings victory, and become the number 1 Test team.
Vijay was taken on the tour of Bangladesh in January 2010 as the reserve batsman, and he was called into the team after V. V. S. Laxman
V. V. S. Laxman
Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman , sometimes shortened to Venkatsai Laxman but generally known as V.V.S. Laxman, is an Indian cricketer. Laxman represents Hyderabad in domestic cricket and has played for Lancashire in English county cricket. Laxman is the great grand nephew of Dr. Sarvepalli...
injured a finger in the First Test. Vijay played in the Second Test in Mirpur
Mirpur Thana
Mirpur is a thana of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. It is bounded by Pallabi Thana to the north, Mohammadpur Thana to the south, Kafrul to the east - to the west it is bounded by Savar Upazila.-Geography:Mirpur is located at...
in Laxman's No. 5 position, scoring 30. In the same match, No. 3 batsman Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
was injured after being hit under the jaw by a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
, so Vijay then played in Dravid's position in the two-Test home series against South Africa.
He was later selected as the reserve opener for away series against Sri Lanka in August 2010 and the home series against Australia in October 2010. He played in the Second and Third Tests against Sri Lanka after Gambhir was injured. He got another opportunity when Gambhir, was injured in the first match against Australia and was ruled out of Second Test. Vijay scored 139 runs in the first innings, his maiden Test century, featuring in a triple century partnership with Tendulkar. Vijay and debutant Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara is an Indian Test cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman. Pujara has the distinction of hitting three triple centuries within a span of one month, although only the last of these was in a first-class match. In December 2008, the BCCI awarded him a D-grade national contract...
added 72 runs crucial partnership which helped India complete a 2–0 series win.
ODI career
Vijay debuted in ODIs against South Africa in the third and final one dayer on Feb 27 2010. He scored a brisk 25 runs off 16 balls.He started a full series during a tri-nations tournament in Zimbabwe when India rested most of the first-choice team. Vijay performed poorly and was dropped for India's fourth match as they came last behind Zimbabwe.
Vijay was selected for New Zealand 5 ODI series 2010 and he played first 3 ODI in which he scored an average of 30. Later, he was replaced by wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel for other 2 ODI matches.
International T20 career
Vijay was selected for 2010 ICC World Twenty202010 ICC World Twenty20
-------------------------------------------------Group A:---------Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Super 8s:...
. He fared poorly in India's disastrous campaign averaging just below 15 and failing to provide good starts in all the matches.
IPL career
Murali plays for IPL franchise from his home town Chennai Super KingsChennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that plays in the Indian Premier League. Founded in 2008, the team is currently captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricketer. The team's home ground is the M. A...
. He was one of the key performers for Chennai in the 3rd edition of IPL in 2010 when Chennai were crowned champions. His first century for Chennai Super Kings was in the third season of the IPL
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
where he scored 127 runs of 56 balls against the Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals is an Indian Premier League franchise based on the city of the Jaipur captained and coached by former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.They were the champions of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League...
. He was awarded the Man of the Match. In the same year, Vijay had prolific run in the Champions League T20 held in South Africa. Vijay was the top scorer of the tournament with 294 runs. He was instrumental in Chennai winning the cup.
In the fourth season of IPL, he was the man of the match in finals and helped Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that plays in the Indian Premier League. Founded in 2008, the team is currently captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricketer. The team's home ground is the M. A...
to win the IPL trophy for the second time in a row. He scored 95 of 52 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixers with a blistering strike rate of 183.