Murali Vijay reveals he played with a fractured wrist during the home season

Vijay missed just one Test match in the long home season

What’s the story?

Indian opener Murali Vijay has revealed that he played through a part of the long home season with a “fractured wrist”. This, in turn, limited his range of shots and affected his batting but for him, the team came first and he played through the pain.

In a chat with the New Indian Express, Vijay said, “I don’t want to get too much into the status of the injury but I was playing with a fractured wrist. It was a difficult situation to be in, but the team always comes first.

“More than anything, it was mind over matter. I was not able to bat freely because, as the injury aggravated, I couldn’t play certain shots and when I went out to bat, I had to grind it out. Especially against pacers, it was difficult at times to even defend off the front foot because it was my bottom hand that was injured.” 

In case you didn’t know…

During the long home season, India played 13 Test matches – three against New Zealand, five against England, one against Bangladesh and four against Australia. Out of these, Vijay missed only one Test match against Australia when he was ruled out due to a shoulder injury.

The opener was a vital player for India through the course of the season and finished as the third highest run-scorer only behind Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. He amassed 771 runs at an average of 36.71 with the highest score of 136. In all, he scored three centuries during the season. However, his form somewhat dipped towards the end of the season, especially during the series against Australia.

The heart of the matter

Vijay further claimed that the injury hindered his performances as he was told not to use any power while batting, and it became difficult against the spinners. He said that because he could not play certain shots it affected his momentum to the point that it became frustrating. However, he saw it as a challenge and played through the uneasiness.

It was because of this injury that Vijay was forced to sit out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). He traveled to the United Kingdom where he underwent surgery and returned to Chennai earlier this week.

What’s next?

It is a while before Vijay can return to cricket but he has started his rehabilitation. The usual time to recover from such surgeries is one or two months and he should be back for India’s next Test series.

Author’s take

Vijay has shown immense mental strength to play with a fracture and he should be lauded for it. India needed a reliable opener at the top of the order and he was up for the challenge. He was in pain and yet, his performances were up to the mark and that speaks a lot about his character.