I was not batting at my best, says ton-up opener Vijay

Murali Vijay on Friday said he scored a sixth Test hundred despite not batting at his best and credited opening partner Shikhar Dhawan for allowing him to pace his innings, which was halted by multiple rain breaks in the one-off game between India and Bangladesh here.

Vijay, who of late has been one of India’s prolific run-getters in the longest format, went on to score 150 on day three after being stuck on 89 for over two days due to persistent rain.

“We can’t do much about <g data-gr-id="31">weather</g>, it is not in our hands. All we (Dhawan and him) planned to do was to play throughout day <g data-gr-id="40">two</g> but sadly no play was possible. We are in a good position and hopefully we can do something special in the remaining two days,” Vijay told reporters after stumps on day three with India reaching 462 for six. 

“The wicket was good wicket to bat on initially and then it became slower so I had to adjust a bit. Shikhar gave a brilliant start so I just wanted to hang in there and play for as long as possible,” he said.

How did he cope up with frequent stoppages?

“I was not batting at my best to be honest. My priority was not to give my wicket away, tire the fast bowlers and cash in when their four spinners operate. It is difficult (to bat between breaks) but you have to be up for it as a professional,” said Vijay.

Vijay was a satisfied man after reaching three figures, a mark he has missed five times in 56 innings by getting out in the 80s and nervous 90s.

Asked whether he was thinking of a maiden double hundred, Vijay said: “I was not thinking too far ahead. I was just thinking of pushing the score beyond 500 because I knew rain was coming. I picked up the wrong ball to play that shot.” 

If Vijay is rock solid with the bat in the five-day format, he is equally effective in <g data-gr-id="34">limited overs</g> cricket. He was expectedly asked about batting in different formats.

“All you got to do as an opening batsman is go out with an open mind, stick to the basics and bat according to the wicket. At the moment, I am in the right space and batting well.