Hyderabad: Opener Murali Vijay said he was determined to make up for the mistakes committed in the first Test as he steered India to a commanding position in the second match in company of Cheteshwar Pujara.
Vijay struck his second Test century, an unbeaten 129, and shared an unbroken 294-run partnership with Pujara (162).
“To be honest, pressure was there. I don’t take things from outside. But I made mistake in the last Test. I should have finished the game in the second innings there. That (last game) hit me hard. I just wanted to stay at the wicket as long as possible. I didn’t want to give my wicket away,” Vijay told reporters.
Vijay had scored 10 runs in the first innings of the Chennai Test and just six in the second when India were chasing 50 to win.
His 14-Test career has been a start-stop one but he didn’t want to indulge in discussions as to whether this innings will give him the much required stability in the side.
“I don’t know about that but I am really happy that my innings has helped the team big time,” the 28-year-old Tamil Nadu lad said.
Asked whether this was the most defining innings in his international career so far, Vijay said, “Every innings at the international level is important. I was definitely pumped up to play the series.”
About his partnership with Pujara, he said, “A partnership like this doesn’t happen all the time. I must say Pujara batted really well.”
For Vijay, the condition of the pitch was of little consequence but he insisted that it was getting better. “It doesn’t matter how the wicket was. My aim was to give a good start. It’s a nice wicket to bat on although scoring runs isn’t easy. But it is certainly getting better,” he said.
Spinners Xavier Doherty and Glenn Maxwell didn’t get much purchase from the wicket and Vijay said, “There were a few balls that did turn. Some are turning and some are not but there was no way that you could take on the spinners lightly. Also we batted well and didn’t give their spinners any chances.” (PTI)