Vijay ruled out of first Test

 

India will be without opener M Vijay, their most consistent and prolific batsman over the last year, as they begin a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday.

Team director Ravi Shastri at the media briefing last afternoon said that a hamstring injury sustained in Zimbabwe, had not healed enough, and he is still under recovery, and that therefore, they don’t want to take a chance with weather like this and a slippery outfield.

Vijay will be replaced by KL Rahul, who produced two 40-plus scores in the Indian team’s tour opener in Colombo against the Board President’s XI.

Shastri said Vijay’s omission would be a “big blow” as he was the “in-form player who has had a fabulous run in Test cricket.”