BCCI asks Murali Vijay to play Ranji Trophy ahead of India v Sri Lanka Test series

The Kiwi chapter is done and dusted. Virat Kohli’s men have taken good care of the men from New Zealand and have handed them the ticket to their home after defeating them in both the ODI and T20I series. It is now time to handle the neighbours, Sri Lanka. Team India will play 3 Test matches against the lions and the squad is already announced. But before joining the Indian team, opening batsman Murali Vijay has been asked to play Ranji Trophy.

Vijay’s team, Tamil Nadu is playing against Odisha at the DRIEMS Ground in Cuttack. Initially, both spin ace Ravichandran Ashwin and the opener were left out of the initial 16-man squad for the match. But according to the reports, the board wanted the 33-year-old player to get into the groove before donning the Indian jersey again. Hence, he was included in the team in the last moment.

While Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma is not playing in the fifth round of this season’s Ranji Trophy, to get some rest, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul are representing their states in the competition. The fifth round ends on November 13. The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata is set to host the first Test match, which commences from November 16. Except for the 3 Tests, India will play 3 ODIs, and as many T20Is against the Lankan lions.

Murali Vijay’s performance

In the ongoing Ranji Trophy game, Vijay scored a century. Winning the toss, Tamil Nadu skipper Abhinav Mukund decided to bat first, but he himself couldn’t contribute much with the bat. But the right-hander stabilized the innings, alongside wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan.

He played one of his patient knocks and took 273 balls to score a brilliant 140* at stumps. It included 15 boundaries and a maximum. This is just the right kind of innings that will boost his confidence ahead of the series against Sri Lanka, where he has to face the likes of Rangana Herath and Suranga Lakmal.