After IPL snub, India's SCG hero Hanuma Vihari shines in County; grabs a stunning catch

Amidst the ongoing IPL 2021, Team India's SCG hero Hanuma Vihari grabbed eyeballs on Thursday in the ongoing County Championship in the United Kingdom. Vihari, who was snubbed by IPL franchises at the recent auction, has been picked by Warwickshire in County season which recently got underway. Playing only his second game for Warwickshire, Hanuma Vihar became the centre of attention not for his exploits with the bat but his aerobic effort in the field to bag a wicket. 

During Warwickshire's contest against Nottinghamshire, Hanuma Vihari pulled the ball out of thin air to dismiss the opposite skipper Steven Mullaney when he was at 31. Vihari's stunning effort came in the 41st over of the first innings after Nottinghamshire won the toss and chose to bat first. The Indian batsman had to cover a bit of ground backwards before he leapt to get hold of the ball. Watch the stunning catch here - 

Here's how netizens reacted: 

Warwickshire rope in Vihari

In their official press release, Warwickshire announced that Hanuma Vihari has been roped in as a cover for South Africa's Pieter Malan as the latter could not travel to England due to difficulties in obtaining a visa. The team also mentioned in their statement that it is a great opportunity for youngsters from the team to learn from someone like Hanuma Vihari who has proved his mettle in international as well as domestic cricket for India.

Vihari becomes India's hero in Australia

During India's conquest of Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Hanuma Vihari played a heroic role to keep the Men in Blue alive in the series. When India headed towards a defeat in the third Test at SCG, Vihari carried out the rescue act alongside Ashwin. Both Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin had shared an unbeaten 62-run stand for the sixth wicket to ensure that India did not suffer a batting collapse. They wore down Australia by batting for more than 42 overs. Ashwin remained unbeaten on 39 while Hanuma Vihari was not out on 23. 

Vihari was limping for a major part of his innings due to a hamstring injury, while Ashwin took several blows on his body especially the chest but those blows did not make any difference to their commitment as the duo kept the Australians at bay with a marathon match-saving effort.