Ahead of the rescheduled fifth Test against England, starting on Friday (July 1) in Birmingham, Indian batter Hanuma Vihari opened up about the struggle to make a place for himself in the Test team.
Vihari performed brilliantly whenever he was given the opportunity, but he is yet to cement his place in the Indian Test team, thanks to the presence of experienced stars like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and now Shreyas Iyer.
However, the right-hander said that he has learned to be patient with his opportunity due to his struggles in domestic cricket.
However, he could get the opportunity in the rescheduled fifth and final Test between England and India starting on Friday.
Hanuma Vihari told New Indian Express: “I had to struggle in domestic cricket for a long time. I've been performing consistently in the domestic circuit to make it to the national team. So I know how to be patient in terms of waiting for my opportunities. So that journey itself shows I have been waiting patiently for a chance by performing well for years together. I would say I've earned my place in the Indian team.”
He also admitted that he was disappointed with his omission from the Test series against New Zealand at home last year but was not hurt.
He added, “No, definitely not hurt. Obviously, I was disappointed. But again, it is something that is not in my control. Instead, I went to South Africa (with India A), got runs and made it to the team again. So that is all I can do it from my side - keep scoring runs as much as I can.”
