Hanuma Vihari, India, Australia
Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin grit it out to help India salvage a historic draw [Photo-Twitter]

India’s fielding coach, R. Sridhar reveals that Hanuma Vihari struggled to walk after returning to the dressing room from his epic match-saving innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). At the onset of his innings, Vihari pulled his hamstring and was injured the whole time as he batted for more than a session for 161 balls to save the third Test and prevented Australia to take the lead in the series which was levelled until.

Hanuma Vihari has scored just 45 runs in the first two Tests and hence decided to bat despite having a torn hamstring to repay the faith that the management showed in him. Ravichandran Ashwin and Vihari batted for over 250 balls in the fourth innings to avoid a loss. Sridhar reveals that Vihari fell down on his chair as they tried to hug.

Hanuma Vihari, R Sridhar
Hanuma Vihari and R Sridhar. Image-Twitter.

“At tea time in Sydney, I went up to him and told (Hanuma) Vihari, ‘You owe the next two hours to your team, as this team has backed you at every juncture. And, after those 250 balls when he came back, he could barely walk, he fell down on the chair as I went to hug him. “Sir, you asked for it. This is the best I could do in this situation,” were Hanuma Vihari’s exact words,” R Sridhar told PTI.

Hanuma Vihari’s miracle in Sydney gave us the belief to win in Brisbane: R Sridhar

Sridhar lauds on Vihari’s physical and mental toughness to bat out for hours despite being on a heavy dose of painkillers. The fielding coach says that the heroics of the 27-year-old in Sydney gave them motivation and confidence to win the Test and the series in the last Test in Brisbane.

Hanuma Vihari, India
Hanuma Vihari and R Ashwin. Image Credits: Twitter

And India did. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side emerged victorious in the last hour of the fourth Test at the Gabba, Australia’s fortress, winning the match and the series. Hanuma Vihari will not feature in the upcoming Test series against England as he will continue to rehab his hamstring.

“He can go into a shell very soon, and that’s his strength also, and it helped him in Sydney. Despite being on a heavy dose of painkillers, which could make you a bit drowsy, he actually pulled off a miracle in Sydney. So when we got there in Brisbane, we had the belief that we could do it,” Sridhar added.

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