INTERVIEW

Cracking the Vijay Bro Code

by Vishaal Loganathan • Last updated on

India's all-weather car, Murali Vijay © BCCI

"I don't take advice, bro."

Murali Vijay is quick to correct when asked if he had taken any special advice from Michael Hussey during the Indian Premier League. It does not make him arrogant. Vijay is just confident in his own processes and ability. He wouldn't have gotten as far as he has, in life and in his cricketing career, if he wasn't.

Vijay is an enigma in more ways than one. He might seem aloof, but would not hesitate to make you his 'bro' a minute into a conversation. His emotions are rarely on display in an otherwise expressive Indian team, yet he doesn't shun away from a dab to celebrate a hundred. He belongs to an old, charming world in which leaving the ball ranks high, yet his shots both sides of the wicket have the markings of a modern-day cricketer. His adeptness at blocking does not hamper his big hits against the spinners. He is seemingly never in the news, but controversy is somehow never far away. On his day Vijay seems impregnable, but a big 200+ score still evades him. He can sometimes look the best in the world, yet his average only just crosses 40. For all his apparent nonchalance, he greets and beats challenges like he was born to do it.

He is neither the superstar nor is he someone who shuns away all light falling on him. He is neither India's Sisyphus nor its Dionysus. He is India's monk. The one who owns both a Ferrari and an all-weather car.

This balance has made Murali Vijay one of India's biggest assets, not to mention a natural opener. He is just what India want him to be. Vitally, he allows his team that balance between romantic hope and being doleful. Especially when the team embarks on tough tours where the ball swings, seams or bounces more than usual.

They are on one such tour now - a five-Test challenge in England, where India, since 1932, have won just six Tests out of 57. And as has become India's wont, Murali Vijay finds himself as India's vital cog. The challenge is something Vijay is looking forward to. "...another challenge, and like every other challenge in life, it's exciting for me," Vijay told Cricbuzz.

Life has indeed thrown more than one challenge at Vijay. And as it is with his batting, most of them were met with resolve and sincerity. As a 17-year-old, Vijay decided to leave his home, fend for himself and see if he could make it on his own. He came from a family that was not doing too badly, but flunking his class XII exam made him think about what he wanted out of life.

Vijay worked at a snooker parlour, and even spent nights in Chennai's cricket hangouts. He resisted the comforts of home and fought his way through before life finally rewarded him for his endurance. He cleared his exams soon after and got into college, and its cricket team. It was then that he first played with the leather ball.

"I think opportunities and situations in one's life change them. That's how it had to happen for me. I'm very happy that I persisted with the sport," Vijay said. "I didn't really think about giving up the sport. Not really. Maybe that also helped me. Because once I got into cricket, I thought this is the way I'm going to lead my life for a couple of years. I was focussed on what I was doing, and I was giving a lot of time for that."

But even then life wasn't without hardships. He didn't make it to state teams and was even reportedly rejected because of his hairstyle, but eventually, his perseverance paid off. In 2008 he made his Test debut. More than four years, and 12 Tests later, Vijay cemented his spot in the top order, with twin hundreds in the home series vs Australia in 2013. A 97 at Durban was followed by a fine hundred in his first Test in England, and a 95 at Lord's that set the base for India's win.

Now, on his second tour to England, Vijay's expectations have risen higher.

"My frame of mind is to go and contribute for the winning cause. That's how I'm preparing myself for the England series. Every time you travel somewhere else, it's going to be an exciting time for any team. To be honest, the way we've been playing for the last couple of years, it's been a phenomenal brand of cricket. Hopefully, we can continue on those terms and as a team, we can gel together and make this a special series."

The word 'special' resonates throughout the interview. Vijay even ends it by saying they want to win the series for everyone who has played for India before and for the potential players in the future. It gives a glimpse into what the current Indian team sets sight on. They were blanked 4-0 in 2011, lost 3-1 in 2014, but there seems to be a different vibe ahead of the current tour.

"I thought we really fought well there, but unfortunately we ended up on the wrong side," Vijay said about the Test series against South Africa. "If we could have won one of the first couple of Tests, it would've been great. The bowling performance was a great sign for us, and the way the bowlers put their hand up was really great."

But something strange happened in South Africa. Vijay, who many counted on to blunt the potent South African attack with his meticulous and mostly risk-free style, took up a rather atypical approach. He added a shuffle that brought him more towards the off-side and left him needing to play more deliveries that were outside off stump. He ended the three-Test series with 102 runs, but the shuffle had disappeared by the third Test.

Was the shuffle a move to play more attacking cricket?

"It was a strategy that I thought will be useful for me. I just tried it out in the middle, it didn't click and I came back to what I knew best," said Vijay. "It depends on the situation and conditions, but I feel you've got to keep innovating and find ways to get the better of bowlers.

"There are a lot of difficulties involved but everything needed to be handled as a professional. I don't really give that much thought to difficulties. I try to find ways in any situation possible - in life, as well as in cricket. I'm a person who likes to go out and express myself. When I'm in that frame of mind, I don't worry about the opponent or wicket of anybody. I just try to improve myself as a person and as a cricketer."

©BCCI

After the South Africa tour, Vijay had the chance to catch up with an old friend, one he thinks of as his elder brother - Michael Hussey. He played just one IPL game but used the time speaking cricket with Hussey and sharing knowledge. Against Afghanistan at home, Vijay was back to his old self, stroking 105 to lay the platform for India's emphatic win.

"Hussey and I have been good friends. Basically, I treat him like my elder brother. He's guiding me whether there is the IPL or without it. We both are quite like-minded people. For me, he's a legend who's done really good for himself in the world of cricket. And I've been a great follower of him since he started his journey in internationals. It's basically about sharing knowledge about the different departments of the game.

"I don't take advice, bro. I just share my experience and talk about cricket. I don't believe in advice and I think everybody has their own way to success. That is what I feel. Before any series for that matter, I don't think too much. Once I get into the groove when I reach a particular place, I start firing up."

For many players, preparation for a long, arduous series begins some time before the series actually starts. For Vijay, however, the preparation begins in earnest only when he lands in that particular country. Until then, the preparation is more mental.

"Five Tests is a long, long way to go, and hopefully we can focus on the smaller things and work towards a goal. I think we can go to do something special this series. Mental preparation, definitely that's a key aspect. Mentally, you've got to keep upgrading yourself. A lot of factors can be opened up in Test series like this. Actually, I'm properly looking forward to this series, and hopefully, we can pull off something special.

"Once I reach England, there my preparations start. Because of the different conditions there, we can't get that in India. My frame of mind is to go and contribute for the winning cause. That's how I'm preparing myself for the England series."

Despite the need to innovate and keep upgrading, Vijay's strength lies in his core batting aspects - the leave and the drive. During India's win over South Africa in Johannesburg, Vijay, who had ditched the shuffle, was able to leave the ball with much more ease. Off the 169 balls he faced in that match, he left along as many as 80, and defended less than half of that. When the ball is pitched up eventually, Vijay's stylish drives take over. In Durban and Centurion, the leave-defended ratio is almost on par.

Back in England now, Vijay's ability to leave and drive will be tested severely, but he is confident in his game plan.

"Muscle memory is a big word, bro. I feel it's a very difficult thing to address. (Leaving the ball) is all a strategy, a game plan. Test cricket demands you to be more consistent. If I can give a good start every time I walk in to bat, I think I'm doing my job.

"(The drive) was natural from my childhood, and I've always loved playing that shot. Also, repetitive practice over and over and over again. I think you can get into that groove. But overall, I don't focus too much on my drives, I make it instinctive."

India will hope Vijay's instinctive drives leave an indelible mark on the series. He was their top scorer on the last tour, with 402 runs, but 317 of those came in the opening two Tests. With his tapering success, India came crashing down too. Vijay, though, has no regrets.

"When I quit the game and sit back, maybe I will think about missed chances. Once I hang up my boots, I'll think back. Right now, I have a job at hand."

And a tough one, too. But India have a man seasoned for such challenges.

© Cricbuzz

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