Hanuma Vihari was one of the unsung heroes of India’s historic win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in 2020-2021. Vihari’s unbeaten knock of 23 runs off 161 balls saved the third Test match at Sydney. Amidst his knock, he had suffered a hamstring injury, but he continued batting to ensure a draw for his side.
Hanuma Vihari Opens Up On His Exclusion From Team India
Hanuma Vihari will be soon leading his team South Zone in the final of the ongoing Duleep Trophy. Vihari, who has been out of the Indian cricket team, reveals how he has kept himself motivated after being dropped from the squad of team India. He revealed that he doesn’t know the exact reason why he was dropped from the team but he takes inspiration from Ajinkya Rahane‘s comeback. He said:
“It’s always tough to make a comeback, once you’re dropped, it plays on your mental side as well. It affects your mindset. I’ve gone through that last season,” Vihari was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
He added: “This season, I want to keep everything aside and focus on my batting, try to get better at my skills, and do what I’ve been doing best for the last 12 years in first-class cricket. If it happens, it happens. If not, I’ll try to keep getting better and help my state side or zone,”
Hanuma Vihari has amassed 839 in 29 innings, with five fifties and one hundred, in Test format for India. He scored his first Test century came on the 2019 West Indies tour.
Vihari Is Inspired From Ajinkya Rahane
Hanuma Vihari made the above statements during the Duleep Trophy semi-final, where he made a quick 43 runs on a tense final day to help his side South Zone win the game by 2 wickets against North Zone. After Rahane’s comeback in Team India, Vihari also hopes to make a comeback via a good domestic run. He said:
“I thought whenever I got a chance, I did my best. Maybe my best was not good enough for the Indian team. But again, I will try to keep getting better. That’s all you can do as a sportsman. Keep getting better in different aspects. I’ll continue doing that this coming season,”
He added: “Hope is always there until you retire that you can come back. I’m still 29 and have a lot of time to go. I’ve seen Ajinkya Rahane make a comeback at 35. I have a long way to go. I still feel I can contribute to the Indian side in the Test format, especially if I can get some runs in the domestic season,”
It has to be noted that Ajinkya Rahane made a comeback in the Indian cricket team, riding on his stellar domestic performances. Following this he performed well in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final and now he has been made the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming West Indies Test series.
