Vijay Hazare Trophy | Murali Vijay 'let down' after getting ousted from Tamil Nadu squad

Vijay Hazare Trophy | Murali Vijay 'let down' after getting ousted from Tamil Nadu squad

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Murali Vijay has expressed his disappointment for the manner in which he was left out of the Tamil Nadu side for his failure to report for the Vijay Hazare match against Mumbai on February 8. The opener has also added that Johannesburg Test win gave the Indian team momentum for the ODI series.

Vijay was left out of the Tamil Nadu team after he "failed to report" to the ground for the game against Mumbai due to a "shoulder pain", but the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), in a press release, stated that the team management were unaware of Vijay's injury. While Tamil Nadu was down with a hamstring injury to opener Abhinav Mukund, Vijay's unavailability was the last thing they wanted. However, the coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar came out in his defence and admitted to being aware of Vijay's injury that kept him out of the match. 

But, for the first time, Vijay decided to open up about the incident and said that he was "hurt" by the manner in which the events transpired. 

"I just feel sad for whatever that has happened. Things could have been handled better. I'm set to talk with the TNCA officials soon and I feel things will be fine," Vijay said after scoring a hundred for his club side Jolly Rovers in the TNCA first division league, reported ToI.

Vijay was a part of the Tamil Nadu team for the first two matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy - against Gujarat and Goa - and managed to score 11 and 51 in those two matches. And, his absence from the squad turned out to be a huge blow to an already beleaguered side, which had failed to qualify for the Ranji Trophy knockouts and finished as low as fifth out of seven in the league phase of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While Vijay admitted that a lot of work needed to be done for Tamil Nadu cricket, he anyways wants to win the Ranji Trophy before he is done as a player.

"I felt let down that my commitment was questioned and I was hurt. I love playing for Tamil Nadu and take a lot of pride in representing the state. My dream is to win the Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu and I'm confident it will happen."

Vijay’s superb ability to leave the outside the off-stump deliveries made him India’s No. 1 Test opener at the moment and he had already proved his worth in the Australia and England tour in the past. However, in the last Test series against South Africa, the Tamil Nadu opener failed to get going and didn't register a single half-century. But the worrying sign for him was the uncharacteristic mode of dismissals - caught behind the wicket on four instances.

"In all the Tests, I had got in, played a few balls and had a look at the wicket. It all boils down to shot selection, which happens at that level. There were also good bowlers, bowling in the right channel and the pitches were a little difficult. I hope to apply the experience I had gained in the future tours. We could have won the series. We competed pretty well in the second Test but couldn't finish it. It was a good learning as a team," reflected Vijay.

After losing the first two Tests, India rescued some pride in the third and final Test of the series to reduce the defeat margin to 2-1. However, come the ODI series, the Men in Blue became a different beast altogether to tame the South Africans and barring a loss in Johannesburg in the fourth ODI, India won all matches of the series to take the rubber 5-1. 

"Third Test was brilliant for us. It gave us the momentum and it made us believe even more that we can do something special abroad. Winning abroad is a special feeling. I'm proud of what the team has achieved in the ODIs. It is down to the constant process, the way we are handling every practice session and preparations and that's what people are witnessing now. As a team we are on the right path," he noted.

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