I am really looking forward to working under Vikram Rathour, says Hanuma Vihari
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Hanuma Vihari has stated that he is excited to work under Vikram Rathour in the Indian team, having previously worked with him at the NCA camp and in another camp in Andhra Pradesh. Vihari has further stated that he wants to contribute more and more with his bowling whenever gets a chance.
Sanjay Bangar’s reign as India coach came to an end with India’s series to West Indies that the visitors clean-swept quite convincingly. It was a reign that had a fair share of criticism, considering India’s middle-order frailties never getting solved until the last moment that led to India losing the plot in the World Cup semi-final.Â
While the rest of the backroom staff got an extension, albeit after a fresh round of interviews, former Indian opener Vikram Rathour replaced Bangar as India’s new batting coach. A failed international batsman, Rathour had coached Punjab on the domestic circuit and was named an Indian national selector in September 2012 under Sandip Patil’s chairmanship.Â
During his tenure at the National Cricket Academy, he worked with many of the upcoming Indian talents and Hanuma Vihari is one among the lot. Now, ready to work with the former Punjab batsman, Vihari, speaking exclusively to SportsCafe, is all praise for him, while reserving his gratitude for Bangar for helping him sort out his technical flaws.
“I worked under him a few times and I always feel he has got a good knowledge of the game. When it comes to Sanjay sir, I think he has contributed a bit in the way I bat and the clarity of the mind, especially from a tactical point of view. So yeah, I am really looking forward to working under the new batting coach,” Vihari told SportsCafe.
Primarily a top-order batsman in the domestic cricket, Vihari had to bat at No.6 for India, primarily thanks to the team’s need. It has paid rich dividends too, as Vihari has 435 runs at an average of 54.37 from the nine innings he has played at the position so far. Vihari feels it was down to the trust shown by the team management and he is happy that he's repaying it.
“Trust is a big thing, especially in a team sport when the players trust you and the managers trust you. You have that confidence. But then that is one thing and repaying that trust is another and that only happens with performance. I am happy that I could deliver whenever I was given an opportunity.”
“I am working on my bowling. There’s a long way to go and I am still working on it. If I can bowl those important overs, it’ll be useful to the team as well as for me going forward. So yeah, why not, if you have the skill set and you can work on it then it’ll be a benefit for the side. I really want to do it.”
Two of the fine performers in Indian domestic cricket, Vihari and Mayank Agarwal, have become a constant in the Indian team after grabbing the opportunities thrown at them. Their career almost has a similar arc and Vihari couldn't be more happy to see the evolution of the Karnataka opener.
“He has done well the last couple of years domestically and that’s the reason why he has been picked, and he has done well in the initial part of the international career as well, he’s started well. It’s important that the openers fire, he’s doing a good job for the team and I am sure that he will do well in the future as well.”
