Murali Vijay set to play English county cricket for Essex

Indian cricketer Murali Vijay is all set to make his county debut for Essex Cricket Club in the 2018 season. 

The opening batsman, who was dropped after disappointing scores in the first two Tests in the ongoing series against England, was signed by Essex for the remainder of the season. 

“I was here with the India side about a month ago and saw first-hand just how good the crowd is. I can’t wait to play for Essex and hopefully win some matches,” Vijay said in a BCCI press release. 

“Vijay’s run-scoring ability means he can be the difference-maker in a game, and that skill is something we were looking to bring in towards the end of the season and something that we’re excited about,” Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said in the release. 

“The campaign is coming to an end and we have some really big games over the next month, so getting someone in with the experience and international quality that Vijay possesses could make all the difference for us,” he added.

Earlier, India's Test specialists Ravichandran Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma too had their share of county cricket prior to the five-match Test series against England. 

Ashwin, Pujara and Ishant Sharma had turned up for Worcestershire, Yorkshire and Warwickshire respectively.