Murali Vijay set to bring his ‘A game’ against the Proteas

The Indian team is set to go all guns blazing at their South African opponents when the nations lock horns in the opening Test at Cape Town on January 5. Coming on the back of a successful home season, the Virat Kohli led team will look forward to making amends to their record of never winning a Test series in the rainbow nation. The Men in Blue have one of the best teams on paper, and it will all boil down to how well they can handle the pressure on the pitch.

However, prior to the opener at Newlands stadium, the Indian team was left with a scare after Shikhar Dhawan incurred an ankle injury. But Dhawan has been declared fit and was even seen practising in the nets. And the sublime left-hander is expected to be partnered with 53-Test veteran Murali Vijay at the top.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer earlier today declared that he was ready for the challenge and will bring his “A game” against South Africa in the three-Test series starting Friday. The 33-year-old right-hander opined the 22-yard pitch was “quite green” but wasn’t exactly confident as to how it will behave on the first day of the Test.

Vijay responds to Graeme Smith’s comments

When reminded about former skipper Graeme Smith’s comments that South Africa is a tough place for openers, Vijay conceded to the notion and added he was ready for the challenge.

The 33-year-old said, “I have been here (South Africa) a couple of times. It was challenging for an opening batsman. As you know, the bounce, seam movement and the conditions, it is something really exciting for an opener to go out there and perform. I agree with him (Smith). It is difficult.

He added, “At the same time you learn a lot of things. You have X-factors in your game which you can use when you get into a situation like that next time.”

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