The day Team India departed for Zimbabwe, Murali Vijay revealed his next goal to the world – to make a mark in the ODI format. India’s most prolific Test batsman over the last year and a half professed his love for one-day cricket unabashedly and vowed to make the most of his comeback in the India Blues after two years.. The beginning was not very auspicious. In the first ODI, batting on a fresh morning wicket with the nip in the air swinging the ball around, Vijay nicked one to the second slip for one run off the ninth ball he faced. It was a delivery Vijay the Test batsman would probably have left alone in similar conditions. Vijay knew it at once. And the man that walked in with Ajinkya Rahane to open India’s batting on the morning of the second ODI was the very embodiment of solidity and resilience that we have seen over the last year opening the batting for India in Test cricket. Vijay and Rahane fought through the initial tricky period and laid down a strong foundation of 112 runs on which the Indian innings flourished to 271 runs. In the process, Vijay achieved his maiden ODI half-century, after a wait of five years and 15 matches. His 72 off 95, the highest score of match, earned India a series win and Vijay, a man of the match award. In a chat with bcci.tv Vijay expressed what this knock meant to him and described how he architected it. Your first ODI fifty and that too in your comeback series. Pleased? I am really happy considering how important the start was for us in these conditions. After the first match we sat together as a team and spoke about it. We said we cannot give away early wickets because it puts pressure on the middle-order. I felt Ajinkya and I did really well today to bat the way we did in the first 10 overs because the ball was doing a bit. I could have got a big one but that is a part of the game. I am satisfied with my performance because in the end the team won. For the first 10 overs, did you feel more like you were batting in the first session of a Test in England rather than an ODI in Zimbabwe? It was actually the plan (to see off the first 10 overs like we’d do in a Test). On this wicket and with the nip in the air we knew we could not afford to go bang bang. The good thing is that we made some plans and we stuck to them. Everybody played their role, which was really pleasing to watch. We got the desired result. Yesterday Ajinkya and I sat and talked about how to go about our opening partnership. There was a very clear plan in place and we did well to play according to it. You looked much more at ease and very solid at the wicket today than the last game. Did you approach this game any differently? To be honest, no. I played only nine balls in the first ODI but I could feel that my feet were moving really well and I was seeing the ball well. I didn’t want to change anything after one game. I had to believe in my ability and just focus on backing myself to execute the plan that we went in as a team. I knew there is nothing wrong with my batting. It was just the shot selection issue that came in the picture again. Today I just wanted to take some time in the middle because wickets like these tend to act a bit funny. You feel like you are in but one good ball can suddenly get you out. You worked hard for your first 50 runs – ran hard between wickets and hit only one four. Did you hold yourself back and resisted going for the big shots? In the first 10 overs I hit a couple of good shots but the ball went straight to the fielder. That’s when I got the sense that things are probably not going my way. So, I decided that rather than pushing for it and doing something different, I should just wait for it. Both Ajinkya and I were rotating the strike well and there was no need to do anything fancy. I felt that the wicket was easing up a bit after the first 10 overs and I thought if I could stay in till the 25th over, I can compensate for the initially low strike-rate. Those two straight sixes you hit brought back the memories of your IPL centuries. How much did you enjoy them? I always enjoy hitting sixes. After my wrist injury when I could not hold the bat with my natural grip. I had to make a few tweaks so that I don’t aggravate the injury. Because of that I felt like I had lost my range. It was really frustrating and irritating. But I went through that grind and now after the rehabs and with time I am again feeling good about my wrist and getting that range for big shots back. The Test success helped me a get lot of confidence in terms of my fitness. Now I am getting the whip off my bat I used to get earlier. You looked very disappointed with yourself when you got out. Was the disappointment for the shot or the fact that you got out just as you were beginning to open up? It was the combination of both, actually. As I said, I wanted to stay in till the 25th over because the wicket was getting slower and I knew it would be easier for a set batsman to take advantage of it than a new batsman. Also, I was batting well, finally getting my hitting areas right and then suddenly I got out. I was confident of getting a four or a six off that ball but when the catch was taken I was really heartbroken. I also felt like I had put the team in a tricky situation because we were 159 for 2. Had we been on 200-odd, I would have not felt so bad. Talk about your partnership with Ajinkya. Like you, he too looks very calm and solid in the middle. Very similar in terms of batting temperament? We both have a positive intent within us. We had some good partnerships in the Test matches in Australia and we have been playing together for a while now. So, I do know his game a little better and he does mine. With us it is very simple. We just back each other, communicate properly – especially with running between the wickets – and just take it one plan at a time.