Murali Vijay keen to do well in ODIs

Upon his comeback in the ODI team after two years, Vijay hit 72 off 95 balls -- the highest scorer of <g data-gr-id="41">match</g> -- to earn India a series win and a man-of-the-match award.

In fact, it was Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane (63) who laid the foundation for India’s 62-run win with 112 runs opening partnership that helped the visitors put 271 on board.

“I am really happy considering how important the start was for us in these conditions. After the first <g data-gr-id="42">match</g> we sat together as a team and spoke about it. We said we cannot give away early wickets because it puts pressure on the middle-order,” Vijay told BCCI.TV.

“I felt Ajinkya and I did really well to <g data-gr-id="40">bat</g> the way we did in the first 10 overs because the ball was doing a bit. I could have got a big one but that is a part of the game. I am satisfied with my performance as in the end the team won.”

Vijay had scored just one off nine deliveries in the first ODI, which was his comeback match.

Asked if he approached the second game any differently, the opener said: “To be honest, no. I played only nine balls in the first ODI but I could feel that my feet were moving really well and I was seeing the ball well. I didn’t want to change anything after one game.

“I had to believe in my ability and just focus on backing myself to execute the plan that we went in as a team. I knew there is nothing wrong with my batting. It was just the shot selection issue that came in the picture again. “On Monday I just wanted to take some time in the middle because wickets like these tend to act a bit funny. You feel like you are in but o<g data-gr-id="56">ne</g> good ball can suddenly get you out,” said Vijay, who made his ODI debut against South Africa at Ahmedabad in 2010.

The 31-year-old had to work hard for his initial 50 runs before going for a couple of big shots.

“In the first 10 overs I hit a couple of good shots but the ball went straight to the fielder. That’s when I got the sense that things are probably not going my way. So, I decided that rather than pushing for it and doing something different, I should just wait for it,” Vijay said.

“Both Ajinkya and I were rotating the strike well and there was no need to do anything fancy. I felt that the wicket was easing up a bit after the first 10 overs and I thought if I could stay in till 

the 25th over, I can compensate for the initially low strike-rate,” he added.