'Not disappointed on missing ton'

On the cusp of a well-deserving century in his 50th Test, M Vijay (82) displayed a rare lapse in concentration and got stumped after trying an ill-timed shot. The opener, however, said he wasn’t disappointed with the manner of his dismissal which came in the last over before lunch on the third day here.

“I wasn't disappointed actually,” he said when asked about his shot. “The shot was on – mid-off and mid-on were inside and so I thought it was my shot. But the situation was wrong I guess and the execution was not up to the mark, but definitely the shot was on.

“Actually, the previous ball to the one I got out, I saw that there was not too much spin happening. I thought okay, fine, there are scoring opportunities for me, and the fielder was inside. Those are the shots which I bank on in my batting. So I backed my instincts, but it did not come out my way,” he explained.

Vijay forged his eighth 100-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara (130 batting) and the Chennai batsman dwelt on the association between the two. “He's coming in at number 3, so somewhere we've got to build a partnership,” he began. “Pujara is a guy who has the game for it, because he takes a lot of pressure and his game is such that you can depend on him and play your natural game. So, it goes hand in hand. And we both are in good form as well, so it's helping the team at the moment.”

Vijay didn’t agree that momentum had slipped away from India after slipping to 360/6 by the end of the play from being 225 for two. “No, not really,” he stressed. “I think the game is evenly poised. If we can get closer to the target and maybe, if possible, extend the lead from there, I think it's going to be a good game in hand.”