Opportunity knocks twice for Vijay

M Vijay crunches the ball through the off side, India v Australia, 4th Test, Nagpur, 4th day, November 9, 2008
'I hope I do well when I get my turn next time.' © Getty Images
Related Links
News : Dhoni upbeat despite Gambhir's absence
News : A whole new ball game for Vijay
News : M Vijay called up as cover for Gambhir
Players/Officials: Murali Vijay
Series/Tournaments: Sri Lanka tour of India
Teams: India

It couldn't have been scripted better. Murali Vijay entered the room as S Badrinath left it, and proceeded to take the place on the sofa vacated by his Tamil Nadu team-mate and former captain, the man under whom he made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu. While Badrinath is yet to play a Test for India, Vijay is getting ready to play his second after an eventful debut against Australia last year in Nagpur.

"It is really good," Vijay told Cricinfo about his past year. "I just want to get a start if I play."

Last year, he was called up at the last minute after Gautam Gambhir was forced to sit out following his one-match ban over an altercation with Shane Watson.

Vijay was rushed from Nasik, where he had scored a big century in a Ranji Trophy Super League game against Maharashtra, to Nagpur. He didn't disappoint, getting starts in both innings (33 & 41) and, importantly, sharing vital opening stands of 98 and 116 with Virender Sehwag.

"I was just blank when I went in to bat. Maybe I could have done better but the team won the game", Vijay said. He picked up a few tips from his heroes in the Indian dressing room and applied them at the domestic level. "Great players always say that it is important to keep performing at the domestic level, then it is easy to get established at the international level as you learn things like handling pressure."

It seems to have paid off. He began this season with 92 in the second innings of the Irani Cup encounter against Rest of India, then scored half-centuries in the first two Ranji Trophy matches and 148 against Punjab after he was released from the first Test squad in Ahmedabad.

"I've learned a lot of things and I've managed to enhance my own game. In New Zealand, I learnt how to handle the moving ball and how to deal with the crowd pressure back home. So I hope I do well when I get my turn next time."

Vijay may be warming the bench for Gambhir, who will miss the final Test in Mumbai to attend his sister's wedding, but he believes Sehwag and Gambhir are India's most successful opening pair and that both have a solid temperament. His desire to score runs though, is immense.

"I want to prove myself each game I play, for my state or for India," Vijay said. "The only way I can do that is not think too much."

He said it was an "honour" to partner Sehwag at the top of the order as well. "Opening with him takes the pressure off you, because no bowler can stop him," Vijay said. "The way he approaches his game, he is mentally very strong and handles the situation the way he wants to. He talks about cricket a lot to lighten me up."

Vijay has been on the fringes of the Test side for the past year now and is the first-choice replacement for either Sehwag or Gambhir. He has already been part of four series in those twelve months including the latest against Sri Lanka.

Vijay has utilised his time as a reserve in a positive fashion. His priority was to focus on strengthening his temperament in all situations and Paddy Upton, India's mental conditioning coach, has been a big help. "He [Upton] has talked to me about how I could handle pressure. He has stressed on keeping things simple."

He has learnt various techniques of facing the new ball from coach Gary Kirsten as well. "The best part about him is you can go up to him and ask him for an extra knock. Being an opener he points out particular stuff and you can pick a lot of stuff from him considering he was such a successful opener."

Vijay has practised hard in the last week - getting throw-downs from the Kirsten-Upton pair in Kanpur, followed by an hour-long optional nets session on Monday in Mumbai under the coach's observation. His plans though, remained straight and simple. They were no different in Nagpur where he didn't get much time to make personal plans.

This time he is more relaxed even if he was not too sure about getting enough sleep on the eve of the game. "As it gets closer I might have some sleepless nights," he said.

Tendulkar, Harbhajan seal title in thriller

The ghost of batting under the R Premadasa lights was almost buried tonight. Sachin Tendulkar's master class, an 86th international century close to his best, almost became a footnote on a night of punches and counter-punches. Sri Lanka knew being ultra-aggressive was the only way of going about this huge chase, and they counterattacked every time a wicket was lost. Thilina Kandamby, batting at No. 7, almost pulled off a heist against India for the second time in his short career, but the loss of early wickets had left him with too much to do.

Don't go by the 46-run margin. India's fielders and fast bowlers were rattled during the frenetic chase. It was their spinners, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh, who saved them the embarrassment. They took critical wickets at critical points and Raina's dismissal of Chamara Kapugedera in the 43rd over, with 68 runs and the batting Powerplay to go, proved to be the decisive blow. A pumped-up Harbhajan then finished off what he started, dismissing the last three batsmen in a hurry. He had earlier taken two wickets in the eighth and 10th over of the innings to rein in an explosive start to the chase.

When Harbhajan came on for his first spell, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya had jolted the Indian team out of a dream afternoon. Sixty runs were scored in seven overs and all three fast bowlers were clueless. Harbhajan's first over was a masterpiece. With a slip and leg slip in place, and a strong on-side field, he invited Dilshan to take the risk and hit through the off side. Dilshan took the bait - he didn't have many choices - got one boundary through cover, and was bowled the next ball.

In his next over, Harbhajan got Mahela Jayawardene with a doosra, and India were on all-out attack. Three more bowlers took wickets in the first over of new spells, though failing to bring Sri Lanka's run-rate down, which was helped by Thilan Thushara's pinch-hitting. But after they lost the fifth wicket, Kumar Sangakkara and Kandamby settled in for longer innings.

Sangakkara was unfortunate when his bat slipped out of his hand and landed on the top of the stumps in the 28th over. With four wickets left, and 138 to get, it seemed over but Kandamby and Kapugedera had other ideas. They didn't panic, kept the singles and the odd boundaries coming, and were helped by sloppy fielding - India missed at least two run-outs and an easy catch.

With 80 required in the last 10 overs, five of which would be bowled under field restrictions, India relied on the spinners. Raina and Yuvraj gave nine runs in Nos. 41 and 42 and, in the 43rd, Raina got the ambitious shot out of Kapugedera, ending a 70-run stand in 15 overs. Harbhajan then came on to finish his third five-for in ODIs.

The beauty of the chase was that it overshadowed a classy knock by Tendulkar, who rolled back the years, and then some. He stroked, ran and yearned for runs like it was the 1990s, but unlike those days he didn't need to take any risks on the way to setting what looked like a total safe beyond doubt.

This was Tendulkar's ninth international century since May 2007, to go with seven scores in the 90s. Judging by this form, 100 international hundreds have become a distinct possibility. A measure of the bowlers' helplessness lay in the fact that the first time he hit a ball in the air was to reach his fifty, that too off a free hit. With Tendulkar batting the way he was, who needed aerial shots?

He shared valuable partnerships with Rahul Dravid, Dhoni and Yuvraj, especially crucial being the one with Dravid. Tendulkar and Dravid, walking out with 73 years and 762 ODI caps between them, took charge of what has looked a shaky batting line-up: their 95-run opening stand took them to No. 6 on the all-time partnership aggregates in ODIs.

Harbhajan Singh is pumped up after sending back Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka v India, Compaq Cup, final, Colombo, September 14, 2009
Harbhajan Singh grabbed his third five-for to help India lift the Compaq Cup © Associated Press

Tendulkar you simply couldn't take your eye off. Albeit on a flat track, Tendulkar and Dravid were prepared to work hard in sapping conditions, their shirts turning to dark blue with sweat even before the shine went off the white ball.

Nuwan Kulasekera and Thilan Thushara didn't serve up loose half-volleys or long hops; Tendulkar had to work for every forceful shot. The first ball he faced he punched sweetly off his toes, wide of mid-off for three. In the fourth over, he took a similar delivery and wristed it wide of mid-on for three. We were on to something.

A string of lovely boundaries followed, the best being the punches through a tight cover ring, and the late flicks from off and middle stump to midwicket and cow corner. After Dravid's dismissal, Tendulkar added 110 with Dhoni, who kept the tempo up.

By then Tendulkar had started taking the odd chance, stepping out, making room, and hitting Jayasuriya and Mendis over extra cover. One such shot off Mendis, in the 29th over, took him into his 90s and serenely, with ones and twos, came the hundred. After the hundred came the cramps, and when Tendulkar opted for a runner we were reminded for the first time it was in fact the year 2009.

Dravid came back to run, but Tendulkar did most of the calling. The bowlers showed no mercy, Malinga bowling a mix of bouncers and yorkers. Tendulkar's response was to hit Mendis for a six inside-out and reverse-sweep two boundaries in three balls. After he got out in the 46th over, trying one reverse-sweep too many, Yuvraj's big hitting got India 42 runs, which also proved crucial in the end.