An outsider thriving within the system
In an interview with Sriram Veera of the Indian Express, M Vijay shares moments of his journey that have moulded him into the cricketer he is
ESPNcricinfo staff
17-May-2015
At 17, M Vijay left home to find "what I want". He found work in a snooker parlour, and a chain business and somehow managed to fit cricket in between all of that. Those experiences, hardly commonplace in Indian cricket, taught him a lot about himself, moulding a philosophy of "street-smart survival". In an interview with Sriram Veera of the Indian Express, Vijay shares moments of his journey that have moulded him into the cricketer he is.
He was forced, however, to stop and pause at least a few times. One came early, at the age of 21, when he found out that he wasn't selected for the Tamil Nadu team because he had long hair. Or so he believes. "That's what my sources told me and I was shocked. It's a weird feeling: I didn't understand. What's hair got to do with cricket? What does it really say? How can you judge my attitude on that? If I do not supporting my teammates, or come late for training or make mistakes on the field, these things can be addressed. Not your hair or the way you speak, or smoke," he says.
It was an early lesson in image management that continues to haunt him. He might be a proud man but he wasn't going to let coiffure stand in between him and his dream. And off he went that evening to chop off the hair.