I play cricket for pride and sheer passion, claims Murali Vijay

Murali Vijay has been going through a tough spot in his career and for the first time in years is completely out of the scene as far as the Indian Test squad is concerned, after disappointing foreign tours to England and Australia in 2018. Even though he has been dropped several times in the past, he has always been on the fringes and ready to pounce on a spot should a player go through a rough patch or become unavailable for any other reason. This has seen him accumulate 61 Test caps over 11 years, scoring nearly 4,000 runs at an average of 38.30, including 12 centuries. The opener is confident of bouncing back into the team.

“Of course, (it is at the back of my mind. I don’t put any limitations to my dream. I have given four comebacks. So I am not under any pressure. I know how to make comebacks. I am just enjoying this phase of my life. I want to ensure whichever team I play for wins. I want to help youngsters get into the right mindset. These are the contributions that I can make in cricket. I am not personally thinking about India alone. It is a team sport. But I have always loved making comebacks. I am honest with my preparation. Let’s see where it goes,” he was quoted saying by TOI.

The Indian team in the recent past has been a bit inclined towards including youngsters in the squad and giving upcoming prospects more chances. This has seen players like Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul cement their places in the squad but the 35-year-old feels age shouldn’t have any effect as long as the performance is upto the mark.

“I don’t think age should be a factor in selection. The skill and performance level of the player is what should matter,” felt Vijay.

His journey to return to the team will begin with him playing for County side Somerset in the last three matches of the season. Following this, he would be looking towards recording good scores in the domestic circuit to make his way back into the squad, even though he repeatedly stresses he isn’t fretting over anything such.

“I have been addressing this over a period of time. I play cricket for pride and sheer passion for the game. I don’t look forward to playing for India or playing for a World XI. My motto is to play cricket at a higher level. When there is competition, I enjoy that. I am looking forward to contributing to the teams that I will be playing for now, which is what I have been doing for the past 15 years,” Vijay concluded.