Murali Vijay signs up with county team Essex for 2018 season

The Indian opener played in the first two Tests in England and managed to score only 26 in four innings. He got a pair at Lord's and then was dropped from the squad for the rest of the series after the third Test. Vijay played against the Essex side in the practice game and scored 53 at Chelmsford. The Tamil Nadu cricketer is keen to perform well in county cricket and win matches for the team.

 “I was here with the India side about a month ago and saw first-hand just how good the crowd is. I can’t wait to play for Essex and hopefully win some matches,” Vijay said.

Essex Head Coach Anthony McGrath expressed his delight after Vijay's signing and said, “We’re delighted that Vijay has chosen to come here. He’s a great batsman who can score runs at the top of the order. ”

“Vijay’s run-scoring ability means he can be the difference-maker in a game, and that skill is something we were looking to bring in towards the end of the season and something that we’re excited about. The campaign is coming to an end and we have some really big games over the next month, so getting someone in with the experience and international quality that Vijay possesses could make all the difference for us.” 

The 34-year-old opener has 8637 first-class runs to his name from 124 games with an average of 42.97. He is the third cricketer from India to represent the county cricket club.