Murali Vijay: It is going to be a great 12 months for us

ByArun S Kaimal, SportsCafe Editor

06/30/2016

Indian opener Murali Vijay believes that the Indian cricket team is in for a great next 12 months under new coach Anil Kumble. Vijay also added that fitness will play a major part in India team’s success in the upcoming season, with India scheduled to play 17 Test matches between July and March.

The Indian cricket team has started the preparations for the West Indies tour in Bengaluru, under the watchful eyes of newly appointed coach Anil Kumble. Although the first two days have been filled with rain, Indian opener Murali Vijay is optimistic about the rest of the training camp. Kumble’s first assignment as coach will be the four-Test tour to West Indies, and in a media session at Bengaluru, Vijay opened up about the team’s plans for the tour.

“It has been a couple of good days for us. We have come to Bangalore with a purpose – preparing for the West Indies tour. Anil bhai gave us the freedom to work, for a couple of days, on whatever we got because of the rain. We have been having some quality sessions out there,” Vijay said when asked about the first two days with the new coach.

Vijay, who had a terrible time on the last tour to West Indies back in 2011, scoring 55 runs from three Tests, said that he will stick to basics this time around.

West Indies is a great place to play cricket because it’s more of fun, and there is lot of competition inside"

“I have been to West Indies three times before so I have a fair bit of idea about how it’s going to be there. But we don’t know what’s going to be given to us on that particular Test match so we gotta be prepared overall as a unit because this is the start of our season. I’m looking forward to sticking to my basics and be as consistent I can this season. Hopefully, If I can do that, I’ll be happy at the end of it,”Vijay said.

Also read: Anil Kumble | Can the legendary bowler transform into a great coach?

The query to compare Kumble and Shastri also came up during the session, but the opener carefully left the ball alone without going for a comparison.

“See it’s just been a couple of days for us. We had a great time with Ravi bhai and Anil bhai has picked up and hopefully we can have a good time with him and learn lot of things from because he has been an unbelievable cricketer for the Indian team. We are looking forward to share some quality time with him,” said the Indian opener.

“West Indies is a great place to play cricket because it’s more of fun, and there is lot of competition inside. So you cannot ask for more as a sportsperson. Entertainment overall. We are really looking forward to this series to have a great one and come back to India. It’s a confidence booster for us to go there and execute our plans. Lot at stake for us,” added Vijay.

India will have a gruelling season ahead of them, with the team scheduled to play 17 Tests from between this July and March 2017. When asked about the plans for the season, the 32-year-old pointed to fitness as the important aspect for India’s success.

“Fitness will play a major part and we are part of it. We have our fitness regime and we are following it, and hopefully we can stay fit throughout the season,” said the Tamil Nadu cricketer.

When asked about the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli partnership, Vijay said that it is too early to give a comment and that the team is looking forward to the next 12 months.

“I can’t see anything ahead of me and talk. A couple of day’s time it has been so it’s very early to give a comment over that. It’s going to be a great 12 months for us, that much I can guarantee you as a team. We are up for it and we want to be the best we can in these coming 12 months,” said the 32-year-old.

The Indian opener also shared his memories about Anil Kumble and said that he is a big fan of the former leg-spinner.

“My first Test match was his last Test match so I couldn’t spend a lot of time with him. But I have been a great fan of him, and as a youngster who doesn’t. It’s a great opportunity for us to talk to him about cricket and learn about his thought process about the game, and learn from that and move forward. It’s going to be a great time for us,” said Vijay.

Also read: Pro Kabaddi has shown how to handle women's sport: Are you watching BCCI?

For similar quick updates and interesting news for all Indian sports, Download the Sportscafe Android app here: Sportscafe Android app