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.
It was a case of missed opportunities for two youngsters. Sri Lanka's 22-year-old all-rounder Angelo Mathews missed the chance to register a maiden Test century when he attempted a tight second run and was run-out for 99, while Tamil Nadu opener Murali Vijay also looked set for a maiden Test ton before attempting a rash sweep shot and was trapped leg before wicket.
India discard Murali Vijay registered his first century of the season as Tamil Nadu took a huge first innings lead over Mumbai, and then more than doubled it by stumps on Day 3 of the four-day Ranji Trophy semi-final at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Statistical highlights on the second day of the second and final cricket Test between India and South Africa in Durban.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara led India's determined response to England's mammoth first innings total of 537 as they struck dogged hundreds to guide the hosts to 319 for four on the third day of the first Test in Rajkot, on Friday.
Shikhar Dhawan has been named as the replacement for the injured Murali Vijay for India's upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara hit centuries and shared a stand of 209 to lead India to 319-4 in their first innings on the third day of the opening Test in Rajkot, on Friday, trailing England by 218 runs.
Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan had a memorable debut in the international arena during the third Test against England, becoming the only fourth Indian to score twin half-centuries on Test debut.
Statistical highlights from the third day's play of the first Test between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
India opener Murali Vijay said on Saturday he fancies his chances on the bouncier Australian wickets, which favour his backfoot game.
India made a strong reply with the bat after off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up yet another five-wicket haul as the hosts reached 146 for one on the second day of the fourth Test against England in Mumbai, on Friday.
India opening batsman Murali Vijay is a big fan of newly appointed head coach Anil Kumble and says the players have got a golden opportunity to learn from the great leg-spinner. "My first Test match was his last Test match and actually I did not spend lot of time with him, but I have been a great fan of him as an youngster," he told reporters on the second day of the India camp at the KSCA stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Opener Murali Vijay struck a magnificent double century as Rest of India stretched their lead to a mammoth 354 runs against a hapless Rajasthan on the third day of the Irani Cup match at in Bangalore.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara overcame occasional discomforts to take India to 86 for one wicket at lunch on the opening day of their one-off Test against Bangladesh at Hyderabad on Thursday.
Suresh Raina has been named captain of the India Blue team for the Duleep Trophy, which will be held in Kanpur and Lucknow from September 7 to 29, providing him a platform to make a return to the Indian team.
India opener Murali Vijay said he is using the time away from the game to work on fitness with his next assignment being the Test series in Sri Lanka next month.
Opener Murali Vijay and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will be looking to get into the groove in India 'A''s last first-class engagement, against England Lions at the County Ground in Worcester, starting on Monday.
An unbroken second-wicket century stand between Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara put India in command on a curtailed opening day in the second Test against South Africa in Durban, on Thursday. Bad light forced play to be called off early, with India sitting pretty on 181 for 1 in 61 overs after electing to bat first.
Shikhar Dhawan moved up 10 places to achieve a career-best 24 while teammates Murali Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja also moved up in the latest Test rankings.
Since starting the series with a century (126) in the first Test in Rajkot, Vijay failed to live up to expectations in the next five innings.
Indian opener Murali Vijay will miss the second Test against West Indies due to a thumb injury and will be replaced by Lokesh Rahul, skipper Virat Kohli said ahead of the match that begins at Kingston's Sabina Park later on Saturday.
Sanjay Manjrekar said the team management should take the blame for selections which have backfired.
Opener Murali Vijay on Thursday admitted that Indian batsmen were guilty of playing loose shots to let go the advantage in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur but asserted that the hosts have put up a good total to make a game out of it. India were in a strong position at 154 for 1 at one stage before a middle-order collapse saw them reduce to 291 for 9 at stumps on the opening day. Vijay top-scored for the hosts with a 65 but himself played a poor shot, a cut off a not-so-short ball off leg-break bowler Ish Sodhi and was caught behind.
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India opener Murali Vijay hit an unbeaten century and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni slammed a half-century to frustrate England on the opening day of the first Test at Trent Bridge, on Wednesday.
India 'A' scored 247 for 3 in 65 overs in their second innings when the match was called off.
Alastair Cook worries over England's lack of preparation but backs Bazball for success in India
Mayank Agarwal, who was the third opener for the West Indies series, is a contender for the yet-to-be-decided squad of 17 that will travel Down Under.
Rajneesh Gupta surveys the batting landscape in India-Australia Test encounters.
Rookie Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar has been drafted in the Indian squad for the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka with seamer Bhuvneshar Kumar and senior opener Shikhar Dhawan being released.
Statistical highlights from Day 4 in the second cricket Test between India and England at Lord's on Sunday.
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How often do we see a batsman get out on 99 and score a hundred in his next innings in Test cricket? Murali Vijay is only the eighth batsman (on the ninth occasion) to do so. Rajneesh Gupta provides the details.
Images from Day 1 in the fourth Test between India and South Africa, at New Delhi, on Thursday.
Not only wickets, but records tumbled as India clinched a seven-wicket win over South Africa.
Murali Vijay regained his form while playing for Essex after being dropped from India's Test squad but the opener insists that neither he tinkered with his technique during his county stint nor he played there to reclaim his place.
Faiz Fazal hit a century to steer India 'A' to the Deodar Trophy title following a comprehensive 87-run victory against India 'B' in the final in Kanpur, on Friday.
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between South Africa and India in Durban on Thursday.
There seems to be no love lost between India and Australia players as visiting skipper Steve Smith, on Monday, appeared to have used cuss words against Murali Vijay after the home team opener claimed to have taken a catch that was deemed not clean.
Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical outlook of the players named in India's squad for the upcoming limited-overs series in Zimbabwe.
Images from Day 3 of the third Test between India and Australia in Ranchi on Saturday.
To keep their minds off the Pune disaster, the team went on a hike at Tamhini Ghat on Monday, and the trek to the Western Ghats seemed to have brought out their inner Platos and Ramanujas.
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