Fatullah : With a penchant for scoring big Test hundreds, Indian opener Murali Vijay is now aiming to cross the 200-run barrier as he approaches the next phase of his cricketing career.
“Yes, I am aiming for that. I have been batting well and scoring these 140s and 150s. Now it’s time to take another step and aim for a double hundred. And to achieve that I am working on my fitness.
“As I said earlier, after having batted long enough to get to 150 your body tires out due to the external factors like the heat and humidity. That affects your mind. If you have the will to do it, you will. I have that will and I am doing everything I can to achieve that. Hopefully it is around the corner,” Vijay said.
“It is said that for the openers it is important to be good friends off the field in order to succeed as a pair on it. And it is absolutely true. Shikhar and I share a very good rapport off the field and that helps us in the middle. Although our games are different, we know each other’s games very well.
“As far as our personalities go, some people think he is the relaxed one and I am the serious one. But while batting it is the other way round.
“I am more relaxed and he is usually pumped up from inside. We complement each other well in that way,” he said.
“I am actually not a focused person off the field and perhaps, that helps me save all my concentration power for when I am batting. When you are batting well and are in good form, your ability to concentrate is what takes you to big scores.
“You have to seize that opportunity to go on and score a big one. Things are not served to you on a platter at this level and you have to make every chance and every moment of good form count,” he said. —PTI
