Former India Opener Murali Vijay Announces his Retirement From all Forms of International Cricket

Former India opener Murali Vijay announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket on Monday (January 30). Vijay, who is 38 years of age, turned out in 61 Tests, 17 ODIs and 9 T20I matches in his career spanning 7 years from 2008 to 2015.

The Tamil Nadu opener also turned out in 106 IPL matches and scored 2,619 runs at a strike-rate of 121.87 with 2 hundreds and 13 fifties. In his IPL career, Vijay turned out for Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

“Today, immense gratitude and humility, I announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket. My journey from 2002 to 2018 has been the most wonderful years of my life for it was an honour representing India at the highest level of sport,” Murali Vijay said in a statement issured on social media on Monday (January 30).

“I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket & the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in new and different environment. I believe that this is the next step in my journey as a cricketer and I look forward to this new chapter in my life.

“I wish all my former teammates and the Indian cricket team all the best for future endeavors,” the statement added.

@BCCI @TNCACricket @IPL @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/ri8CCPzzWK — Murali Vijay (@mvj888) January 30, 2023

Vijay last played for India in the Australia tour in 2018 in Perth. He was later axed after a poor run of form and never returned. In Ranji Trophy, he last played for Tamil Nadu in 2019 and hasn’t been part of competitive cricket since last year where he played in Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). But in a cheeky dig at BCCI, the 38-year-old has expressed his desire to return to the sport and is now looking for opportunities abroad.

“I am almost done with BCCI (smiles) and looking for opportunities abroad. I want to play little bit of competitive cricket,” Vijay told WV Raman on ‘Wednesdays with WV’, a weekly show on Sportstar.

Vijay, who has scored 3,928 runs for India in 61 Test appearances and 339 runs in 17 ODIs, also felt the need for a change in mentality towards a player’s age.