The recently-concluded tour of West Indies has pretty much sealed Hanuma Vihari’s spot in the playing eleven of the Test team. Before the start of the series, there were huge discussions over who should be picked between Vihari and Rohit Sharma as the number six batsman. But Vihari has now settled the debate with a stunning performance against the Caribbean outfit. On the fast and tricky pitches, Vihari displayed remarkable maturity to help India sweep the two-match series.

In three of the four innings, the right-handed batsman crossed the 50-run mark. He started the tour with a 32-run knock before notching his highest Test score when he scored 93 in Antigua. But in the very next innings, he surpassed that score when he scored his maiden Test century. In the second innings of the game, he scored an unbeaten fifty to help India win the game by 257 runs. Those performances also helped Vihari bag his first Man of the Match award.

Prior to that, the Andhra star had also impressed while playing for India A against West Indies A. In three Unofficial Tests against West Indies A, Vihari, who was also the captain, scored 224 runs, including one unbeaten century and one fifty. He is now gearing up for his maiden Test at home.

Support from team

Every newcomer needs good backing from the team-management and Hanuma Vihari was not an exception either. Fortunately for him, the team-management backed him completely and the team is now reaping its rewards. Hanuma himself has revealed just how supportive the captain and the coach have been for him so far. Recalling an incident from the West Indies series, Vihari said that Virat Kohli asked him to hold the winning trophy.

“After we won the series, he (Virat Kohli) came straight to me and said ‘hold it’ and hugged me. He was kind enough to give me the trophy and I was very happy to hold the winning trophy. I want to thank each and every member of the team for the contribution in this win. This is an amazing team. When you win a series, especially overseas, it feels great. I am happy we started the Test Championship on a massive note,” Hanuma Vihari told Times of India.