Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari. (Credits: Twitter)

Hanuma Vihari has made the most of the opportunity given to him in West Indies. He was under pressure to deliver as Rohit Sharma was breathing down his neck in the selection process and the right-hander will be delighted with his performance. Preferred ahead of Rohit Sharma in both the Tests, Vihari scored two fifties and a century to justify his selection.

In the just-concluded second Test, Vihari scored 111 and 53 not out to help India thrash the hosts by 217 runs. In the first innings, he helped India post their highest total (416) on this tour by scoring his maiden Test century. His performance in the second innings was also impressive. Despite a good lead, India were in a bit of trouble after being reduced to 57 for 4.

However, Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane shared an unbeaten 111-run stand to bail India out of trouble before Virat Kohli declared the innings. West Indies then came up with another poor batting performance. The hosts were all out for just 210 to lose the suffer a whitewash.

Also Read: Hanuma Vihari Has Shown Why He’s Been Backed And Selected: Virat Kohli

Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari (Credits: Twitter)

What was striking about Vihari’s performances was his remarkable maturity. On almost every occasion on this tour, he came to bat each when India were already in trouble but he made sure to bat the team out of trouble on every occasion. Unsurprisingly, Vihari was rewarded with the Man of the Match award for his stunning efforts.

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Speaking at the end of the game, the Andhra batsman expressed his delight over the century before opening up on his plans while batting in the first innings.

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“It feels great to score my maiden Test century, I missed out on a hundred in the last match, so I was focusing on a big score this time. We were 200 for 5 and that was my goal while batting with Rishabh (Pant),” said Hanuma Vihari.

“We had to be patient on this wicket as there was something in it for the fast bowlers. I was trying to take calculative risk against spinners, that was the game plan and it worked well for me. I have not played a Test at home, looking forward to it. It’s great to play in front of the home crowd back in India,” he concluded.

 

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