Published 09:15 IST, March 25th 2020
Hanuma Vihari spills the beans on coach Ravi Shastri's bonhomie with team's youngsters
Hanuma Vihari opened up about his relationship with head coach Ravi Shastri & revealed that the ex-Indian cricketer always had his ears open for youngsters
Team India's test specialist Hanuma Vihari opened up about his relationship with the team's head coach Ravi Shastri and revealed that the former Indian cricketer always had his ears open for youngsters in the side. Hanuma Vihari has been a regular in the whites for Team India, adding depth to the batting line-up as well as fuelling the scoreboard consistently coming in at number five. Having taken his time to get accustomed to the ways of skipper Virat Kohli & Shastri, Hanuma Vihari feels he has earned the trust of both captain and coach and is quite sure of repaying their faith for his selection to the side.
'Always open to spending time'
Speaking to a news daily, Hanuma Vihari said that Ravi Shastri was always keen on spending time with youngsters and that the coach was hawk-eyed when it came to spotting flaws. Hanuma Vihari admitted that he was a flexible person as a cricketer and hence he could make the amends suggested by both skipper Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri. Talking about the opportunity of playing for India, Hanuma Vihari said that he needs to be mentally prepared about his skillset and technique and said that he always tries to give his best. Hanuma Vihari revealed that he does not feel left out because of his exclusion from the white-ball format squad and that he was satisfied with his strike rate in the red-ball format.
'Will play county after COVID-19 passes'
The Andhra man is confident that he will be able to travel to the UK during the later part of the county season which is played from April to September. "Hope once it's under control, I will be able to play those games. It will be a learning experience for me," said the soft spoken Vihari. The BCCI, in recent years, has allowed top cricketers who are not playing in the IPL to compete in county cricket during the summer months.
The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane are some of the prominent Test specialists who have plied their trade in division 1 and 2 of English county. Vihari's commitment to the game can be gauged from the fact that he played for his employers Nelson CC in the Tamil Nadu CA league on Tuesday. He scored 202 not out against Alwarpet CC in a drawn game. "I work for Nelson and I am committed to play when I am available. It was good match practice. Now I am back in Hyderabad. I will be taking a break for the time being," he informed.
Updated 09:15 IST, March 25th 2020