Veteran opener Murali Vijay on Wednesday described his Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings as a special team. Vijay spent five seasons with the three-time champions between 2009-’13 in his first stint before re-joining them in 2018.
“CSK is a very, very special team,” Vijay told the CSK website. “The kind of players, who came aboard right from the first auction, you name it, they are [mostly] legends of world cricket.”
The 36-year-old spoke about his early days with the franchise, where he played an important role two title wins. “It was a great honour for us youngsters to step into the dressing room and rub shoulders with some of the legends. You get to learn a lot of things by watching them and being around them,” he said.
Vijay, who has played for India in 61 Tests, the last being in 2018, has been a part of all the three IPL-winning campaigns of CSK.
“Twenty20 was a new format in 2008-’09, and I guess my game was suited for white-ball cricket when I started. I kind of enjoyed it when the opportunity came to me. I was ready,” he said.
“The team atmosphere was such that you want to contribute because everyone plays with such energy and intensity. The competition was very high.”
The IPL, which was originally scheduled to begin on March 29, has been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has wreaked havoc on the global sporting calendar resulting in various events being cancelled or postponed.
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