Vijay's performance here will give skipper MS Dhoni a sense of his true abilities in testing conditions against a potent attack. That said, Dhoni's comments that Gautam Gambhir is his "third opener," will have only added that much more pressure on Vijay.
It's more than clear that the two-Test series that begins at the Wanderers from December 18 is a make-or-break one for the 29-year-old and Vijay agrees with that call.
"Yes, this is one of the most crucial series of my career, but I am not putting myself under undue pressure," he said.
The opener has brought with him a fresh approach on this tour and it is very much visible in the training sessions. For starters, he's looking to leave a lot of balls outside the off-stump, which could be crucial in South African conditions.
Revealing his plans, Vijay said, "I was watching old videos of the last time I was in South Africa. I played at a lot of balls. I have got a better idea now and will be practising leaving the ball a lot...To nullify the new ball, that's going to be crucial."
In 2010, Vijay was a last-minute replacement for an injured Gambhir for the second Test at Durban. The opener failed to get going with scores of 19 and 9 on an absolute green top. In the next Test at Cape Town, he had to make way for a fit again Gambhir.
Runs haven't exactly flowed from Vijay's bat this season — 118 runs from five innings for Tamil Nadu is not the kind of tally that he will be proud of. But he is no mood to look back. "It's not always about how many runs I score, it's about how I am feeling about my game...If I am hitting the ball well, that's what matters most...Right now, I am in the best frame of mind and looking forward to anything that is thrown at me," Vijay said.
The South African pacemen already claim that they have left psychological scars on Indian batsmen, but Vijay is not giving it too much importance. "There's a lot being thrown around...But for us, it is about keeping it simple, freeing our mind and just playing," he said.
The opener has always looked up to Sachin Tendulkar and even when he scored his first Test century, the Little Master was there at the other end. Vijay has often said that Tendulkar had been a great mentor for him, but now that the legend has quit, who is he looking up to?
"Sachin paaji always told me to find my own answers in difficult situations...I am trying to do that," Vijay said, sounding confident before his acid test.
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