Hanuma Vihari draws inspiration from Ajinkya Rahane in his bid for India comeback: There is always hope

By India Today Sports Desk: India batter Hanuma Vihari is hoping to draw inspiration from Ajinkya Rahane in his comeback bid to the Indian Test side and looking to replicate a similar story after being dropped last year. Vihari was a regular member of the squad during the first World Test Championship cycle, but he disappeared when the second cycle began.

Vihari was dropped even when Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane all ended up missing a match or two in the home series against New Zealand. However, he was picked when Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped for the Tests against Sri Lanka and he played those two matches as well as a one-off Test in England, before being dropped once more.

And, as another World Test cycle begins with the first Test against West Indies on Wednesday, Vihari will be competing in the Duleep Trophy final in Bengaluru, where he leads South Zone against West Zone. Vihari told ESPNcricinfo that he doesn’t know why he was dropped from the Test team, but he aspires to make a comeback like Rahane.

“I thought whenever I got a chance, I did my best. Maybe my best was not good enough for the Indian team. But again, I will try to keep getting better. That’s all you can do as a sportsman,” Vihari stated.

“Hope is always there until you retire that you can come back. I’m still 29 and have a lot of time to go. I’ve seen Ajinkya Rahane make a comeback at 35. I still feel I can contribute to the Indian side in the Test format, especially if I can get some runs in the domestic season,” Vihari added.

Hanuma Vihari has played 16 Tests for India, scoring 839 runs at an average of 33.56 and hitting 1 hundred and five half-centuries. Vihari also stated that he has been labeled a ‘Test player’ but he is looking to prove his worth in white-ball formats as well.

“Everyone says ‘he’s a Test player’, they brand me as a Test player. I don’t think it’s fair. I have grown as a white-ball player as well, but many don’t believe that because they brand you as a certain player, only red-ball or white-ball,” Vihari further said.