As daunting as it is for the Indian fans to imagine the Indian Test side sans Virat Kohli that too in Australia, it is a golden opportunity for others to rise. Not only India are going to miss their best Test batsman but also with the cloud hanging around Saha/Pant selection and R Ashwin's lack of batting returns in Tests in the last two years, it would put the hot and cold Indian middle-order to stern test.

When a 24-year-old Vihari made his Test debut on the 2018 England tour, he was carrying a big reputation with the highest first-class average 59.79 after 63 first-class matches making him the first Andhra cricketer in 19 years to be picked up for Tests. 

Vihari was lucky in his debut Test innings not to return with a duck against England but did make a resilient fifty and showcased his magic after that reprieve. But after that, the team management had other ideas of testing him in Australia. The best thing about being a versatile batsman is that they get first preference in a lot of scenarios but that also works against them as they have to walk on untested waters and explore areas that a lot others aren't willing to. That was what happened to Vihari in Australia when he was made to open in MCG. He was solid there as well, took the shine of the new ball, but all he could manage were scores of 8 and 13 in the game while batting in the middle-order, he had scores of 20, 28, and 42 in Tests Down Under. 

Then the West Indies tour came and he was even preferred over Rohit Sharma and slotted in middle-order unlike the previous tour and didn't disappoint with an average of 96.33 in the two-match Test series. But he played only a Test in the home summer last year when India played five Tests against South Africa and Bangladesh respectively due to team combinations.

Now, fast forward to the New Zealand tour in 2020, it was supposed to be a series where the Kakinada-born batsman was expected to carry forward the West Indies form. But Vihari failed badly, raking up scores of 7, 15, 55, and 9. He averaged 21.50 in New Zealand to go with an average of 22.20 in Australia Tests, and 28 after a Test in England. While one could give leeway to Vihari for England and Australia displays, it can't be so for New Zealand for he was guilty of throwing away his starts, not showing enough belief in his game plan and batting instincts despite boasting the ability to shift gears, attack spinners, he adopted a poking-bat approach much like his middle-order compatriot Rahane. No wonder Kohli had stated after the series loss that batsmen made too much of the conditions, with Vihari being a classic case of the same.

The Big Australia Test

Let's admit that for players like Vihari, making runs more consistently is far more critical than let's say a stroke-wise talented player because whether we like it or not, public preferences and even team's choices are largely influenced by these aspects. No wonder for the Shaws and Gills of the world, it takes far lesser First-class games and runs to make it to the side or even a certain Rohit Sharma to get elevated as Test opener owing to their special gift of stroke play/natural flair, which attracts people more than the boring aspects of the Viharis and Pujaras of the world - the patience, the resilience, the ability to bat for long hours. Especially if all this doesn't translate to runs, which has been the case for solid looking Vihari, who doesn't boast eye-catching aesthetics but just the art of continuously pushing the envelope with his limited abilities.