India opener Murali Vijay reckons it's more important to look for scoring opportunities in first Test against SA rather than letting deliveries go by
Indias Murali Vijay arrives for a training session at the Newlands ground in Cape Town yesterday. Pic/AFP
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As one of the Indian team's selection headaches seemed to ease into the background, another was brought front and centre.
Jadeja hit by viral fever
Ravindra Jadeja, suffering from viral fever, had to be taken to the hospital for treatment on Wednesday, leaving Ravichandran Ashwin in prime position to start the Newlands Test. But, while the spinner conundrum was possibly sorted, the opening combination was up in the air once more as Shikhar Dhawan recovered fully from his ankle injury and was back in the mix for selection.
This meant that Murali Vijay, the senior of the three openers, was a certainty to take the field come match morning. On a pitch that has a healthy covering of grass, and was likely to stay that way despite the baking African sun, India will be desperate for strong starts. While Rahul brings more solidity to the crease and is an excellent leaver of the ball once set, Dhawan consistently looks to score, and this is an asset the team values. When a wicket-taking ball is never far away, the ability to put runs on the board and with it, the pressure back on the opposition is priceless, but, naturally, it comes with risk.
For Vijay, the key to succeeding in these conditions was keeping an open mind. "You cannot have a set pattern. You cannot go into a Test match thinking that you are going to leave so many balls," said Vijay. "You also have to be in a frame of mind where you also have to score runs. If they bowl in good areas then you have to try to counter and come out stronger. These are the things that will be critical for us moving forward."
Mind over matter
Vijay was confident that the team had done all they could in the lead-up to the first Test here. "We got some pretty good net sessions. In the back, we got some pretty good wickets as well. So we are used to it. It is more of mind games than physical touch," said Vijay. "You have to be mentally prepared to match conditions because in the match, it will be entirely different from whatever you replicate outside. We will be up for it." Graeme Smith, the former South African captain and opener, suggested there was no place more difficult to take first strike than South Africa. Vijay did not disagree.
"I have been here a couple of times. It was pretty challenging for opening batsmen. The bounce and seam movement in these conditions is really exciting for openers to go out there and perform," said Vijay. "I agree with him (Smith), it is difficult, but at the same time, you learn a lot of things. If you have some X-factor in your game, you can use that when you get into a situation like that next time."
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