Hanuma Vihari picks Sachin Tendulkar as favourite among Fab 4 in Indian Cricket Team
Indian Test mainstay, Hanuma Vihari picked legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar as his favourite among the 'Fabulous Four' of the Indian team. Vihari termed Tendulkar as a childhood role model but added that each player of the aforementioned quartet (Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman) possessed a unique ability and contributed immensely to the development of Indian cricket.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda through an Instagram Live session on 28th April 2020, Vihari opened up on his cricketing journey so far. In a candid chat, he also touched upon various light-hearted topics relating to the Indian captain and other members of the Indian cricket team.
"Sachin Tendulkar will always be my favourite (among the Fab 4). He was my role model while growing up like many other youngsters. But all four had great qualities and were unique in their own ability. So, it was great watching them together in that era. But Sachin sir was always my favourite," he said.
Apart from that, Vihari tagged Rishabh Pant and captain Virat Kohli as two players who expressed themselves on and off the field. He claimed Kohli to be a fun guy to be around and also as the person who has the best music collection, tagging him as the DJ of the team.
The right-handed batsman also mentioned that KL Rahul was one of the best-dressed players in the Indian cricket team.
Vihari opined that being talked about as only a long-format specialist wasn't appropriate and added that he wanted to play the shorter formats of the game as well, rather than being labelled as a Test specialist.
He added that he always wanted to contribute more than just his batting and spoke at length about his abilities with the ball. He said that he took his bowling extremely seriously and always gave his 100 per cent in the nets.
"I take my bowling seriously, gives me an edge. My bowl gives that extra advantage for me and the team. I bowl in the nets regularly, the more I bowl, the better I get," he added.
He went back in time and remembered Alastair Cook's wicket in the Englishman's last innings and termed it special for many reasons. On Cook's dismissal, the right-handed batsman said,
"It was surreal, Cook's last test innings. To get him out in his last Test innings was special, because it will be remembered in the history of the game." he elaborated.
Hanuma Vihari has scored 552 runs in nine Test matches and has scalped five wickets. He burst onto the scene and replaced Karun Nair after strong performances in the domestic circuit.
Vihari also revealed how the presence of VVS Laxman and Ambati Rayudu in the Ranji Trophy had a positive effect on his cricket.
Moreover, he talked about a game he played when coming back from the New Zealand tour. It was a first-division club match of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association on March 17 and Vihari ended up scoring a double hundred for Nelson Cricket Club against Alwarpet.
