Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 reasons why Murali Vijay should not be dropped after Adelaide Test
Before the first Test began at Adelaide, a lot was expected from Murali Vijay given his past performances in Australia. But once again he failed to build a substantial innings after a decent start in both outings. Getting out to Mitchell Starc in both innings, the opener could only manage scores of 11 and 18.
With Prithvi Shaw's recovery from injury going on track, the team management might be tempted to bring him into the playing eleven at Perth or even push Rohit Sharma to open the batting and accommodate Hanuma Vihari in the middle-order.
Every cricketer goes through a rough patch. Vijay's current lean phase has come at a wrong phase of his career as he is already 34 and many young batsmen are waiting in the wings. He was dropped midway through the England tour but quickly made a return to the team following his impressive exploits in the county season for Essex.
Vijay may be facing the axe after failing to deliver in Adelaide. However, in this segment, let us take a look at three reasons why India should persisted with the senior opener for the next Test match at Perth.
#3 Impressive past record in Australia
During the 2014/15 season, Vijay was termed the best and probably the most dependable batsman for India in overseas conditions. He proved his worth in difficult tours such as South Africa, Australia and England apart from playing well at home. The right-hander soon established himself as one of the premier openers in the world.
Vijay remodeled his game to a large extent that he was being coined as a Test specialist. He curbed his attacking instincts splendidly in order to become a successful opener for India. His performance in the tour of Australia in 2014/15 showed his mettle. From four matches, he scored 482 runs at an impresive average of 60.25 with one century and four fifties.
There were signs of him rediscovering his old self during India's second innings but he ended up gifting his wicket while attempting a rash drive.