Eagerly waiting for the Australian Test series: Vihari

Therefore, I’m eagerly waiting for the Australian Test series,’’ said Vihari, who has since flown to Dubai along with Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravi Shastri and other Indian coaching staff. They are on a six-day quarantine period.

Hyderabad: The last match that G Hanuma Vihari batted was in February this year in the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch. Since then, he has not played either red-ball or white-ball cricket. Having been ignored by the franchises for the ongoing IPL, Vihari, for the first time in 14 years, has not played any match for long. “It is one of the toughest phases of my career when I could not play for so long.

Therefore, I’m eagerly waiting for the Australian Test series,’’ said Vihari, who has since flown to Dubai along with Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravi Shastri and other Indian coaching staff. They are on a six-day quarantine period.

For Vihari, however, the St John’s Academy came as a big relief to him. “Thanks to the Academy and Sridhar I could manage some practice. It is always good to have some practice matches before any big series. But with not much activity happening, it is challenging to go straightaway into a Test series. Nevertheless, the quality of practice sessions I had with Sridhar sir was very helpful. I practised more on matting wicket to get the extra bounce,’’ said the 27-year-old.

The Andhra skipper said he is mentally prepared for the bio-bubble. “I don’t see challenge for myself but we have to come to terms with new playing conditions to stay in the bio-bubble and stay with the team.’’

Vihari said he feels bad that he is being labelled as a Test player. “Not playing IPL is something that still haunts me. I feel bad if I’m labelled as a Test player. I don’t understand because I have some good performances in T20 and ODI in domestic cricket. I want to prove everyone wrong when I’m given an opportunity in IPL and showcase my talent. Not getting an opportunity is something disappointing.’’

The former Hyderabad captain said that he relished batting on Australian conditions. “It is a big series for me. I’m aware if I come up with good scores, then I can cement my place in the Indian Test team. Since this will be my second tour, I have the experience of playing in Australia. It was great to be part of the Indian team that won the historic series in Australia. It is a new series and new challenges. The Australians will come hard on us. Last time around, we had problems with opening combinations. The team asked me to open, I was really happy to do it. This year we have a settled side and hopefully we can repeat the last visit performance.’’

When compared with last visit in 2018, he said he has more experience in international cricket. “I really enjoyed batting on Sydney wicket last time although I could not score big. At the end of this series, I will know where I stand. Playing under lights in the day/night match in Adelaide will be a new experience for me. It will be challenging for the batsman. The ball will move once the lights are switched on. I’m hungry for runs and it has been a long time since I played. So I’m really excited for the Test series to start in Australia.’’

Saying that the Australian attack is one of the best in the world and he is eager to score runs. “I want to get runs against this attack. That is the mindset and I’m determined to get runs in a big way against this strong Australian attack in their conditions. I want to be a top batsman and win matches for India.’’

He rounded up by saying Mohd Siraj deserves the selection. “He has got a lot of wickets in first class cricket with the red ball. It will motivate other Hyderabad players.’’

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