Murali Vijay might have to play the waiting game, feels Sunil Gavaskar

In-form opener Shikhar Dhawan wasn’t the automatic choice for the Sri Lankan Test series. A series where he piled up 358 runs at an average of 89. 5. He was in HongKong, enjoying a family vacation until he got a call to replace Murali Vijay, who didn’t recover from the wrist injury.

The southpaw was still not the preferred candidate to open India’s innings, as Abhinav Mukund was set to start the proceedings with KL Rahul. But the Karnataka campaigner Rahul was down with viral fever, leaving just one choice, that of Dhawan.

The aggressive opener got a life while batting on 31 and went on to make 190 in the first innings, setting a tone for the entire series. Interestingly, he was retained in the XI for the 2nd Test and it was Mukund who had to make way for a fit Rahul. KL too responded to the challenge and kept on scoring at will. The duo stitched a very vital partnership in the 3rd Test match, as India slammed the Lankans with a dominating white-wash.

Dhawan can’t take it for granted

Now, with both the openers- Rahul and Dhawan doing well, captain Virat Kohli will find it hard to accommodate Vijay, who has been a top performer for India, both home and away. Gavaskar feels that it is an interesting phase for India, where Dhawan is aware of the fact that Vijay is very much in contention for the opening slot and therefore he will have to perform on a consistent basis to stick to his place.

While for Vijay, the wait will be a little longer as India are currently on a roll and everything they have done so far has clicked. “The fact that Murali Vijay will be back soon will keep Shikhar Dhawan on his toes and considering how Dhawan has performed in this season, Murali Vijay may have to wait for his turn,” Gavaskar he told NDTV.