“He has not fully recovered and we don’t want to take a chance”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

India opener Murali Vijay will miss the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle since he has not fully recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained during the national team’s recent limited overs tour of Zimbabwe.

Vijay did not bat in either innings of India’s three-day warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, which ended up finishing as a draw.

“Murali Vijay will not be fit for the first Test. He has not fully recovered and we don’t want to take a chance, especially with weather like this, slippery outfield and things like that,” team director Ravi Shastri told reporters.

Shastri admitted that Vijay’s injury is a “big blow” for the Indian team, especially as he recently scored 150 in a rain-affected one-off Test match against Bangladesh.

“It’s a big blow,” Shastri said. “He is the in-form player, had a fabulous run in Test cricket. He has the ability to play the long innings as he has shown. He will be missed.”