Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir feels it would be unfair on Hanuma Vihari to sit out of the playing eleven in the next Test match against South Africa. Vihari made it to the team after captain Virat Kohli got ruled out of the second Test due to an upper back spasm.
The 28-year-old had to wait a long time to get into the team after playing his last Test against Australia in Sydney. He contributed 40* runs in the second innings of the Johannesburg Test before running out of batting partners.
Gambhir mentioned that Vihari hasn't got many chances to prove his worth in the Test side and he deserves support like Ajinkya Rahane. “It would be very unfortunate if he doesn't play the next Test," he said.
"If Rahane has scored a fifty, even Hanuma Vihari remained unbeaten on 40. If Vihari had batted in Rahane's position (in the second innings), he might have scored a fifty as well. He has played with control in both innings,” Gambhir added on Star Sports.
Rahane's place in the team was under the scanner for his poor display lately. He scored a half-century in the second innings of the recently concluded Test match.
The cricketer-turned-politician backed Vihari to get a long run in Test cricket. “You would want to give a long rope to such a batter. You don't just play him in one game, then keep him out for the rest of the year. It is very unfair. We've seen Rahane's performances for a long time now.
"So, I think that when Virat Kohli comes back in the next Test, he should bat at number 4 with Hanuma Vihari at 5. Going forward, I think it's a right move in the right direction," he said.
“If the team management has backed Rahane so much, it is time for them to put their faith in Hanuma Vihari as well, because he has looked solid in both, the first as well as the second innings,” Gambhir concluded.
South Africa won the third Test match by 7 wickets to level the series 1-1. The series decider will be played in Cape Town from January 11.
(With Star Sports Inputs)
