‘Some Mumbai ex players can never..’: Murali Vijay hits back at Manjrekar for ‘surprising’ reaction to stats

Former Indian opener Murali Vijay has responded to cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar’s reaction to Vijay’s name topping the batting conversation rates list in the country. Vijay expressed his displeasure at Manjrekar’s comments, asserting that he was proud of his accomplishments and would not be deterred by any criticism.

On the second day of the highly-anticipated first Test between India and Australia at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, an intriguing statistic was revealed by the broadcasters: the conversion rate of Indian teams at home in Test cricket.

Rohit had a 50 percent conversion rate, slightly lower than Kohli’s 52 percent. However, topping the list was Vijay with a 60 percent conversion rate, having scored nine centuries in 30 appearances at home.

Best conversion rate in Tests in India. pic.twitter.com/fXFYJIGIB3
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 10, 2023

Manjrekar was taken aback upon seeing the 38-year-old’s name at the top. “I am surprised to see Murali at the top,” he said on-air.

In response, Vijay took to Twitter and asserted that some former players from Mumbai would never be supportive of players from Southern India. 

Some Mumbai ex players can never be appreciative of the south ! #showsomelove #equality #fairplayforall @sanjaymanjrekar@BCCI
— Murali Vijay (@mvj888) February 10, 2023

Last month, Vijay announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, bringing to a close a remarkable career. In his 61 Tests for India, Vijay amassed 3982 runs at an impressive average of 38.29, including 12 centuries and 15 fifties. He was also the leading run-scorer in the 2014 Test tour of England.

He also featured in 17 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and nine Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for India, amassing 339 and 169 runs respectively. During his first-class career, Vijay played 135 matches, accumulating 9205 runs, including 25 centuries and 38 half-centuries.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Vijay was an indispensable member of the Chennai Super Kings side, helping them to win the trophy in 2010, 2011, and 2018.

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