Team India batter Hanuma Vihari produced an extraordinary knock earlier this week, that displayed his grit and determination. Vihari walked out to bat twice for his domestic team Andhra Pradesh despite suffering a wrist fracture as a spot in the semi-final round was at stake. Vihari showed exceptional courage as he batted with one hand and changed sides to add valuable runs to Andhra Pradesh’s scorecard.
Though, Vihari’s efforts went in vain as the side was defeated by defending champions Madhya Pradesh, however, the Indian batter continues to gain praise from all corners for his commitment and dedication towards the sport.
After the match, Vihari talked to former India opener Aakash Chopra about his incredible contribution to Andhra in the match. During the conversation, he revealed that the team physio told him time and again to not bat; however, Vihari decided to bat for the side and remained undeterred by his decision.
“When I said that I wanted to bat, the physio told me 10 times that my career might be at risk if I am hit on the hand again while batting. I told the physio that there is no problem if I don’t play cricket after this match but if I give up for Andhra in this match, it will be in my heart forever,” Vihari said during the chat on JioCinema.
Further, Vihari said that he was devastated by the injury in the knock-out game. He said: “I was devastated because it was a quarterfinal match, such an important match for Andhra and I was not able to bat. I thought it would be an advantage even if I could add 10 runs for the team for the last wicket and I took that decision. If you have to do it for the team, you get the courage,“
Hanuma Vihari made his last appearance for the Indian cricket team in July last year against England in the rescheduled fifth Test. Ever since then, he has not played any game for the Indian side. However, the star batter remains positive about his return to the Indian squad. He said: “Obviously there will be some disappointment but my job will be to score more runs in domestic cricket and I will try to do that to make a comeback. I have the confidence that if I score big runs for one or two seasons in domestic cricket and win matches for my team, I will again get the chance to prove myself for India,”
