[Watch] - Hanuma Vihari begins preparation for South Africa tour
Hanuma Vihari has started his preparations for the upcoming India A tour of South Africa, starting November 23 at Bloemfontein. India A are scheduled to play three four-day games leading up to the three-match Test series between India and South Africa.
Vihari, who was not picked in India's Test squad for the New Zealand series at home after his match-saving knock during the historic Australia tour, will get a shot to come back into the national team.
The 28-year-old batter has started his preparations to make the most out of the India A tour. Hanuma Vihari recently shared a clip of his training on social media, where he can be seen hitting the ball from the middle of the bat.
…….🏏 https://t.co/FJw62NUfh2
Considering the bounce that fast bowlers get in that part of the world, Hanuma Vihari was seen batting on a cement wicket to adjust to the extra bounce and pace. The middle-order batter was mostly seen playing off his backfoot to counter the pacers.
The India A series will commence on November 23 followed by games on November 29 and December 6 respectively.
"He hasn't played any cricket in the interim" - Sunil Gavaskar on Hanuma Vihari's exclusion from New Zealand series
While Vihari's exclusion from the upcoming New Zealand series grabbed a lot of attention, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was not shocked to see him out of the Test side.
Without divulging much into it, the veteran stated that it was mainly due to lack of cricket.
I think it's only fair that selectors share their view on Hanuma Vihari & why he has been ignored. Vihari ticked all the right boxes to raise his hand for Test selection. I see no reason why he should be dropped. If the selectors have a view, they should be loud & clear about it.
Speaking to Sports Today, the 72-year-old said:
"I really was not surprised to be honest because he hasn't played any cricket in the interim. He hasn't played in the IPL so hasn't had any cricket under his belt in the last three or four months."
He added:
"On the other hand, the others who have been selected have had some cricket, not necessarily Test cricket, so maybe that's the reason why they came into the picture."