Hanuma Vihari wants to open for India; explains how County stint can help in WTC final

Team India's test specialist batsman Hanuma Vihari is looking forward to face the English challenge in the upcoming India Tour of England. Hanuma Vihari who is currently in Birmingham on his county duty recently spoke about the upcoming India-England Test series and expressed to take the role of opening batsman if assigned during the five-match test series against Joe Root & Co. 

News agency PTI quoted Hanuma Vihari who said that if he is asked to open at some point during the five-Test series, he is not averse to the idea. "I will do anything the team asks of me. I batted top of the order most of my career so I'm familiar to the challenge." said the man who batted for three and half hours with a torn hamstring to save the Sydney Test against Australia earlier this year.

Notably, Vihari had opened for India in the 2018-19 Test series in Australia. During the India-Australia series, opening pair of Murali Vijay and KL Rahul struggled to play out the Australian seamers. As a result, after two Tests, skipper Virat Kohli decided to blood in a new opening pair in Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari. Mayank Agarwal made his international debut, Hanuma Vihari was a middle-order batsman but accepted to open the innings.

The 27-year-old right-handed batsman was contracted to play three games for Warwickshire and his best show has been scores of 32 and 52 against Essex at Edgbaston, with Alastair Cook in the opposition ranks. "It's been challenging as it's early part of the season but I have gained good experience. Getting used to the climate and pitches here is the idea. Hope it helps during the WTC final against New Zealand and the series against England," he said.

In fact, Vihari made his debut against England at the Oval in which he scored a half-century in seaming conditions.

Having enjoyed a successful A tour of the UK back in 2018 followed by a half-century on Test debut at the Oval, Vihari loves playing in England and the challenges that one faces while countering seam and swing. The Test specialist batsman also said that he loves playing in England and the challenges that one faces while countering seam and swing.

Vihari is still in Birmingham where he is doing his daily routines and one thing that he is getting used to is the cold and damp conditions of early English summer. "It is tough in this cold but again it's a different experience. Yes, I am still training in Birmingham," Vihari signed off. 

(Image Credits: AP)

(Story Inputs: PTI)