NEWS
Follow UsWith the two Test series against New Zealand on the horizon, it was widely expected that Hanuma Vihari would finally get his due share of opportunities at home. However, to the surprise of many, the 28-year-old batsman was not picked in the 16-man squad for the home series against New Zealand.
Further, the all-rounder was also demoted to the India ‘A’ squad for their three-match four-day game series against South Africa. Rumours suggested that Vihari’s exclusion from the home squad was for him to acclimatize himself to the conditions in South Africa, ahead of India’s visit to the African country.
However, former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar stated that he wasn’t surprised with the 28-year-old’s exclusion, stating that the all-rounder not playing in the IPL might have played a big hand in his exclusion. He also opined that the others, who were picked in the squad, were constantly under the selector’s radar.
“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. 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,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
Gavaskar also stated that the performances in the IPL have invariably played a hand in nudging the selection committee over picking the team. The veteran opined that it was a case of “out of sight, out of mind” for the Andhra Pradesh batsman. However, it is yet to be seen if Vihari will lead the ‘A’ squad in South Africa after Priyank Panchal was named as the skipper.
“Also, a lot of times we have seen over the years that the performances in the IPL have invariably been the ones that nudge the selection committee so that seems to have happened. Hanuma Vihari hasn’t played a single IPL game so out of sight, out of mind,” he added.