Murali Vijay to play for Essex

Mumbai, Sep 8 - After being axed from the Indian squad for the last two Tests against England, opener Murali Vijay has signed up with Essex County Cricket Club to represent them in the remainder of the 2018 County Championship.

The BCCI announced the development on Saturday which was also confirmed by the Essex club's official website.

Vijay, who featured in the first two Tests of the five-match India-England Test series, will be returning to the county ground where he scored 53 in the first innings of India's practice game against Essex.

"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 statement.

Expressing pleasure on the joining of the Indian opener, Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said: "We're delighted that Vijay has chosen to come here. He's a great batsman who can score runs at the top of the order."

"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," he added.

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IANS