The thrill of the wind, the sea, and the waves beckoned him. Trying his hand at a different sport, Murali Vijay enjoyed the freshness and freedom that surfing provided.
Surfing put him in the middle of nature where he could ride the waves and listen to the rhythm of the sea. Vijay found the experience “relaxing”.
The star Indian opener was at the Covelong surfing, music and yoga festival, around 20 km from Mahabalipuram on Saturday. And he was buzzing around.
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Asked to draw a parallel between cricket and surfing, Vijay said, “It’s the rush of adrenaline. When you are playing high-pressure games, you cannot do exactly what you think, you just don’t have the time — much like countering and conquering a wave. You keep your mind blank, be more reactive than proactive.”
He also had a word with Jonty Rhodes, a fine surfer himself. “He is a master. I got a chance to talk to him a little about surfing, pick his brains.”
Turning his attention to cricket, Vijay was confident of returning to full fitness soon following a wrist surgery that kept him out of the tour of Sri Lanka.
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“I am feeling much better, have been practising and training hard. I am on the right path at the moment. The grind I am going through now is teaching me to be better as a person and as a cricketer.”
Asked about the upcoming series in South Africa where he will be a vital member at the top of the order, Vijay said, “When the series gets closer I will be there mentally.”
Vijay noted, “It is always a good feeling when you are coming out of an injury and people are supporting you.”
He relished the challenge of taking on mean pacemen on surfaces with bounce and movement. “It’s in these conditions that your character comes out.”
While batting was about being in the “present” for Vijay, he introspected off the field. “Learning from the past makes you a better person,” he felt.
For Vijay, sports and life have been an interesting mix. Much like cricket and surfing.