Australia vs India, 3rd Test: Has Mayank Agarwal’s first innings at MCG virtually ended Murali Vijay’s Test Career?

As Murali Vijay and KL Rahul looked on from the sidelines at Melbourne Cricket Ground, the new Indian opening pair of debutant Mayank Agarwal and make-shift opener Hanuma Vihari went on to build a solid foundation for India in the first innings at Melbourne, something that Rahul and Vijay could not do in the first two Tests.

The application and discipline shown by the duo were exemplary. Though Vihari did not score much, he blunted the Australian new ball attack in the company of Agarwal and set the base for the middle order batsmen. Again, this was the first time in the series that the Indian opening pair had been able to grind out the Australian new ball attack for that long.

Vihari fought hard for sixty six balls and Agarwal scored a gritty seventy six. Though it is too early to judge on the basis of one innings, what seems certain is that the success of this make-shift opening partnership, especially the success of Mayank Agarwal has created a serious dent in Murali Vijay's chances of making a comeback.

With 61 Tests and almost four thousand runs under his belt, Vijay has played a stellar role in India’s Test fortunes over the years, especially in overseas conditions. Though Vijay has not fared any worse than KL Rahul in this series, one thing that goes against him is his age.

At nearly 35, Murali Vijay is unlikely to get more chances at the international level to prove his Test credentials. Also, Prithvi Shaw's sudden rise to prominence will work against the Tamil Nadu batsman. He is now clearly behind Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal in the pecking order, at least at this point in time.

With India not due to play many Tests until the 2019 World Cup, we might have already witnessed the last of Murali Vijay.