Murali Vijay knows how it feels to be stranded in the 90s overseas. At Durban, he fell on 97, but on a sunny Wednesday here at Trent Bridge, the opener discarded that ghost and prospered.
He bided his time on 99, 13 deliveries to be precise while Liam Plunkett tested him, before stealing a single off James Anderson.
The relief was palpable, and the joy infectious. When the helmet came off and the bat was raised, Vijay finally acknowledged his fourth Test hundred (122 batting, 294b, 22x4, 1x6) and the first on foreign shores.
The centurion was India’s strong spine throughout the opening day. The opener, who braved Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander in South Africa and spoke lovingly about leaving deliveries, wasn’t successful in New Zealand. Against Anderson and Stuart Broad, Vijay tugged back those South African memories.
He judged the length, knew his off-stump and when the opportunity arose, wasn’t averse to picking fours through glides, punches and drives. Vijay’s ton helped India post 259 for four at close.
England tried everything — reverse swing, the short ball, teasers outside off-stump, the leg-trap, three men under his gaze, and through it all Vijay was a picture of elegance and importantly, he paid his respects to patience.
It was an attribute that India required in ample measure and Vijay also found three allies — Cheteshwar Pujara (38), Ajinkya Rahane (32) and M.S. Dhoni (50 batting).
Quick dismissalsIn a critical second session, Vijay ensured that England didn’t prise open India’s door after Pujara and Virat Kohli perished in a span of 10 deliveries, while the host shed its morning stupor.
Anderson got one to grip; Pujara, committed on the front foot, ended up lobbing the ball. It still needed Ian Bell’s spectacular dive from silly mid-on to spell his exit. Soon, Broad scalped Kohli with one that held its line, climbed a bit and lured the edge.
The two dismissals and Anderson’s second spell of 6-3-10-1 (unlike his first of 7-0-40-1), shackled India. In the 14 overs between lunch and the drinks break, India eked out 18. The tale got better close to tea — Vijay and Rahane, with their 71-run fourth-wicket partnership, eased Indian nerves.
In the final session, Dhoni lent support in an unfinished 81-run fifth-wicket alliance and India continued to breathe easy.
In the morning, under clear skies, Dhoni elected to bat and handed a Test cap to Stuart Binny. India stepped in with five bowlers and that positive vibe needed validation from its batsmen. It was precisely the point that Vijay hitched his innings upon as he struck Anderson thrice for four in the first over.
The first was twitchy, the second a well-executed glide and the best was the third — an on-drive. England’s premier bowler was muffled, albeit briefly, at his favourite venue. For the Indians, the benign pitch allied with negligible swing and seam movement, would have seemed as delicious as chicken tikka wraps sold at the ground. Later, on Sky Sports , Sir Ian Botham fumed, “It is a corporate wicket. They want five days of cricket; they don’t want home advantage!”
India had no complaints and Vijay tormented the off-side cordon. He would thread a four, Alastair Cook would close that avenue while inadvertently clearing up another and the batsman would drill through that gap. Anderson leaked runs, Broad kept it tight, Vijay looked at ease, but his partner Shikhar Dhawan unhinged these patterns.
From around the wicket, Anderson bowled fuller and as the ball moved a shade, Dhawan fatally nibbled.
India was 33 for one, but there were no immediate alarms as Pujara forged a crucial 73-run second-wicket partnership with Vijay. Pujara clipped Broad and swatted off-spinner Moeen Ali’s full-toss.
It got better as Vijay drove past cover off Ben Stokes. The fifty was his and India had a hearty lunch score of 106 for one. Vijay was standing tall at tea; he was there at the close too. Dhoni couldn’t have asked for more.
