England vs India 2018: 3 Indians for whom this Test series is likely to be the last
After intermittently shedding their habit at Trent Bridge, India couldn't resist it anymore at Southampton. So close yet so far has been India's recurrent story in overseas Test matches. India has been finding ways to gift victories to the opposition after initially being in a commanding position in the matches.
The two changes for England in the fourth Test proved to be a masterstroke as England's win was largely owing to a resilient Sam Curran and an on-target Moeen Ali. The hopes of a series victory in England again went to ashes and can be attributed primarily to the consistently inconsistent Indian batsmen. A few batsmen took their own time to make a mark in the series and a few are yet to do it. Things are not looking propitious especially for these 3 Indian players who are battling a race against time.
#3 Murali Vijay
It would take a herculean effort from Murali Vijay to force his way into the national side again. With unconvincing and uninspiring performances in the first two Tests, Vijay was dropped for the third and went out of consideration for the last two Tests. His foot movement seemed delayed and leaves were indecisive. The ‘Monk’ we all had in mind, never arrived in England.
In this day and age, any batsman who plays most of his matches in India is expected to have an average well above Vijay's nominal 39.33. However, his credibility in alien conditions is what worked in the Chennai lad's favor till now. This series was expected to make or break Vijay's career and unfortunately for the 34-year-old, the latter took effect.