Vijay hopes for a productive stint with home franchise

Beating Mumbai Indians in Mumbai is one and we plan to create more memories going forward. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to be back with CSK. As a team, I’m hoping that CSK will play with our usual brand and accomplish our goals. It’s going to be interesting time for us,” said the 33-year-old during a promotional event here. 

Queried on what separates CSK from the rest of the teams in IPL, Vijay said it’s hard to compare different teams and that each franchise is unique in its own way. “I take a lot of pride in representing a franchise from my state. It’s hard to compare CSK with other teams because we create a family-like atmosphere where all the foreign players and local players forge a close bond. I haven’t experienced this kind of bonding in other teams I have played for. I’m confident we will click as a unit. “Playing for CSK is a dreamcome-true moment for me. To perform well and put up a good show for CSK is always a pleasure and I think I’m good enough to do that. I’m ready to play in the T20 format and I can’t wait for the opening match against Mumbai Indians,” opined Vijay. 

Looking back at the recently concluded Test series in South Africa where India lost a closely fought series 1-2, Vijay said the outcome may have been different if it were a five-Test series. “The team did a great job in South Africa. Unfortunately, we just fell short in the Test series. We thought the effort was fantastic from the bowlers. It’s just that the batsmen let the team down. But we bounced back well to win the third Test. If it was a five-Test series, it could have been interesting from my perspective,” added the Tamil Nadu opener. 

Vijay felt that the team would perform much better in the two challenging overseas assignments against England and Australia. “There is a lot of time before those tours. Personally speaking, I will definitely consider playing for a county and get into the right preparation mode ahead of the England Test series. But there is a lot of procedure involved and we have to wait whether a county move will materialise,” said Vijay.