India wicket-keeper-batter Hanuma Vihari, is finding motivation in Ajinkya Rahane’s journey to regain his place in the national team after being dropped last year. Vihari has been out of the Indian team since his appearance against England in Birmingham last July.
Vihari, who played a crucial role in India’s historic Test series win in Australia in 2021, had a decent performance in the Ranji Trophy where he consistently got good starts but failed to convert them into big scores. The ongoing Duleep Trophy provides Vihari with the perfect opportunity to showcase his abilities as he leads South Zone against North Zone in the semifinals on Wednesday.
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Being dropped from the Indian side had a negative impact on Vihari’s mindset, but he is determined to prove that he still has a lot to offer to the national team. “Once you are dropped or left aside from the Indian team, it is tough to make a comeback. It affects your mindset. I went through that last season,” admitted Vihari.
“You will want to come back until you retire. Even though I’m 29, I still have it in me. You’ve seen Ajinkya Rahane make a comeback at 35,” he said. “I feel I still have a long way to go and have a lot to contribute to the Indian side, especially in Test cricket.”
For those unaware, Ajinkya Rahane made his return to the Indian Test team after a gap of 18 months in the World Test Championship final against Australia last month. Despite the team’s loss, Rahane emerged as the standout performer.
Hanuma Vihari, who hails from Hyderabad, mentioned that he understands the importance of persevering in the domestic season in order to earn his place back in the Indian team. He acknowledges that he needs to put in the hard work and perform consistently to make a strong case for his inclusion in the national side once again.
“This season, I want to keep everything aside and focus on my batting and get better at my skills. Whenever I got a chance, I thought I did well. Maybe my best was not good enough for the Indian team. I’ll try to keep getting better,” he said.
Vihari was forthright enough to acknowledge that it would be difficult for him to rejoin the Indian team through the IPL. “IPL is something I don’t have an opportunity to make an impact on and I only have the domestic season. So, I have to grind it out in the domestic season,” said Vihari.
“People have branded me as a Test player but it is unfair. If you see my IPL journey, I’ve done well when I was 19, 20. Although I’ve grown as a white-ball player, I haven’t got much opportunities. It is unfair to brand players, a quality player can play all three formats. Going forward I want to play all formats,” he said.
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