Former Indian men’s cricket team’s fielding coach R Sridhar recently recalled how Hanuma Vihari selflessly asked to be dropped from the playing XI during the ICC World Test Championship series between the Indian cricket team and the South African cricket team which happened almost three years ago in India.
The South African cricket team was on a tour of India for a T20I series and an ICC World Test Championship series. Hanuma Vihari played in the Vizag Test of that series because he scored a century against the West Indies cricket team during the Indian cricket team’s previous ICC World Test Championship match.
However, the Indian cricket team had to work hard to win that match. Mohammed Shami’s brilliance ensured that the Indian cricket team won the match in Vizag. It seemed like the Indian cricket team needed an extra bowler, which is why Hanuma told the coach that he should not play the next Test.
The Indian batters were in terrific touch during that ICC World Test Championship series. Here’s what R Sridhar said about his conversation with Vihari in a recent interview with Cricbuzz:
“He said, ‘Sir, next Test I shouldn’t play. We should play with an extra bowler because the way we are batting, we don’t need six batters’.“
Hanuma Vihari has played only one ICC World Test Championship match at home
Hanuma Vihari has played 13 matches for the Indian cricket team in his Test career, and only one of them has come on home soil. It was the Vizag Test against the South African cricket team in 2019. Speaking further about Vihari, R Sridhar added:
“Hanuma knew that the captain of the team would always keep the team ahead of him. He understands.”
Vihari has been picked for the upcoming WTC series against the Sri Lankan cricket team. He is likely to play his second home Test soon.
