Virat Kohli is batting in his prime, says Murali Vijay

Mumbai: Murali Vijay kept it crisp and clear as he interacted with the media after stumps on Day Three of the fourth India-England Test here on Saturday.

The Indian opener, who scored 136 as India went past England’s first innings score of 400, was at his attacking best as he tackled the visitor team’s spinners with ease.

“My game plan is to attack the spinners. I don’t want them to settle in one particular area where they find it comfortable. So, I wanted to use my feet and the depth of the crease and play according to my game plan. It came out very well, I guess,” said Vijay.

“England spinners bowled pretty well in patches. But myself and Virat played really well,” he added.

Vijay, who scored a ton in the Rajkot Test, did not enjoy much success in Vizag and Mohali Tests. Vijay said backing his instincts led to a turnaround.

“The hundred is very special because I started off well in the series (but) in a couple of matches could not play the way I wanted to play. I was getting out too early. In this innings, I came out with a clearer mind-set and just wanted to back my instinct and play. The break helped me to go and rethink and comeback better. I was playing the balls (in Vizag and Mohali) which I leave it generally. A lot of other factors to it. But I won’t reveal them. But yes, the plan was to back my core game,” said Vijay.

Vijay also lauded the Mumbai wicket, saying: “I think it is a very true wicket for Test format because everybody had to work their game plans and got to be very clear in their mind-set to deliver. The bowlers had to work their plans out. It was a fantastic wicket to play this game.” 

Vijay went on to speak about his partnerships with Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli before praising the Indian Test skipper for his 147-run (not out) knock.

“One good thing is we, at least in top four, understand each other’s game really well. We exactly know what to do in the middle. So, whatever the situation is, we stick to our game plan and work in pairs,” said Vijay.

“I will actually not comment on this (Kohli’s form with the bat) because he is improving every day. Currently, he is batting in his prime and which is great of us. I hope he can continue it for a longer period of time,” he added.

When asked whether India are firmly in control of this Test, Vijay answered in affirmative.

“Any lead is gold on this wicket. During the tea time, we thought; let’s get close to England’s total. But with the way Virat and Jayant Yadav are batting, we are in a pretty good position,” concluded Vijay.

The Tamil Nadu batsman dedicated his 8th Test ton to his friend Srinath’s father, who passed away on Day One of the ongoing Mumbai Test.