Senior Indian batter Murali Vijay has taken a sly dig at the Board of Control for Cricket in India after the Indian selectors announced the squad for the first two Test matches against Australia. Notably, Murali Vijay last played for India in 2018, when he was part of the Indian playing XI for the second Test against Australia in Perth.
Murali had a horrific outing in that game as he could only score 0 and 20 runs in two innings and since then, he has failed to find a place in the Test squad. The 38-year-old has featured in 61 Tests, 17 ODIs and nine T20Is for the Men in Blue. However, anguished over not being considered for the selection, Murali Vijay expressed his frustration in an interview with Indian women’s cricket team former head coach WV Raman.
“I am almost done with BCCI and looking for opportunities abroad. I want to play a little bit of competitive cricket,” Vijay told Raman on Wednesday with WV, a weekly show on Sportstar. “After 30 in India, it’s a taboo. I think people see us as 80-year-olds walking on the street. The media should also address it differently. I feel you are peaking in your 30s. Sitting here right now, I feel I can bat the best way I can. But unfortunately, the opportunities were less, and I had to search for chances outside.
"I honestly feel as a person, you can only do what’s in your hand. You can’t control the uncontrollable. Whatever happened,” added Vijay.
Notably, the top-order batter has not played in Ranji Trophy since December 2019, and his last first-class appearance for his state team, Tamil Nadu, was against Karnataka on December 9-12, 2019, in Dindigul. The former Chennai Super Kings cricketer, who also captained Punjab Kings in IPL 2016, now doesn’t even play in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
