ENG vs IND 2018: Hopefully we can Win this Time - Murali Vijay

India opener Murali Vijay is confident that it is just a matter of time before Team India starts winning overseas. 

The current side has done exceedingly well under Virat Kohli since he led the team against Sri Lanka in 2015 which was his first full series as a captain. India had won that series 2-1 which was their first Test series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years.

After that, the Kohli-led side had defeated South Africa 3-0 before the mammoth 2016-17 season where they beat the Windies (2-0), New Zealand (3-0), England (4-0), Bangladesh (1-0), Australia (2-1) and Sri Lanka (3-0).

However, a failure in South Africa once again raised doubts about whether the team would be able to do well in testing overseas conditions.

The team is now getting ready for one of its toughest test yet – a five-match series in England and Vijay is hopeful of a good show.

“Every condition presents its own challenges and as a cricketer, you have got to be ready to accept it and just put your best foot forward. It’s just a matter of time before we get started as a Test team and hopefully, we can win this time,” he told IndiaTV.

Vijay, one of India’s finest performers in the overseas conditions in recent years, would have to play a solid game at the top if India eyes a rare series win in England. The opener, who had struck three centuries in a row since returning from injury, said he is in a good mindset.

“I’m in a good mindset at the moment and hope to go there and get my basics and preparation right, and from there we have to judge how the conditions are. It will be crucial for us to stay together throughout,” he said.

After the 4-0 whitewash in 2011, India had started the tour of 2014 on a good note. The first Test ended in a draw before the MS Dhoni-led side won the Lord’s Test.

However, they failed to keep the momentum and ended up losing the remaining three games. One of the reasons behind India’s failure in the last three Tests was the failure of senior batsmen including Murali Vijay who had scored 146 in the first Test and 95 in the second one.

This time around Vijay hopes to finish what he and the team started in 2014 and believes a good team atmosphere like the current one should help the cause.

“For sure, it is an opportunity for us to go and do well like the seniors before us. They all went there with the same mindset like ours, and whether it is winning in England, Australia or New Zealand, it’s not going to change. It’s a collective effort, and hopefully, we can get the momentum going and win the series.

“The way Virat is handling the team and the members are raising their game as well, so it’s a great atmosphere overall. It’s just about doing our bit as a team, be more professional and finish the game on a high,” he said.