3 reasons why Murali Vijay should be dropped from the Indian Test Squad
Murali Vijay has been India's opener in Test matches for almost a decade. He started off his Test career against Australia on a very promising note. Because of his sound technique and ability to leave deliveries, Vijay was successful not only in India but also in Australian and English conditions. He played many important knocks for India both at home as well as in away Test matches. However, in the last two-three years, Vijay has been woefully out of form. He struggled to score big runs, especially in overseas Test matches.
In 2018, Vijay has been going through one of the worst phases of his career. In spite of getting quite a few opportunities, he failed to score runs in South Africa and England series. Considering his past record, the team management again selected Vijay, for the Australian tour. But in the first two Tests of the ongoing Australian Tour also, Vijay's miserably failed.
After such a prolonged run of poor form, most of the cricket experts feel that it is high time that the team management decides to look beyond Murali Vijay and select someone new, for the opener's slot.
In this article, let us look at the three reasons for which Indian team should look beyond Vijay, in Test matches.
#1 Vijay's inability to see off the new ball and build partnerships at the top of the order
One of the most important jobs of any Test opener in to see off the new ball, and try and build good opening partnerships at the top. This makes the job of the middle-order batsmen much easier. Murali Vijay was very successful in doing so in the early years of his Test career. However, in recent years, because of his off form, Vijay has been getting out in the first ten overs, more often than not. This is creating excess pressure on the middle order and denting India's chances of putting up good totals on the board.
#2 Age factor
Murali Vijay is already 34-years-old. So giving him a long run, in spite of his off form, is not a very wise idea, as, at 34, he has not many years of international cricket left in him. Because of his age, his reflexes and footwork have also become slower. As a result of which, he is nicking the new ball and getting caught in slips cheaply.
#3 Arrival of new talents like Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal
In the domestic circuit, quite a few young openers, viz. Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal and Abhimanyu Easwaran have been performing brilliantly in the recent past. Prithvi Shaw already had a wonderful Test debut series against West Indies, at home. So with the arrival of these young talents, it seems like, the time has come, to give them the opportunity in the Test team, in place of the under-performing, old warhorse, Vijay.