cricket

Updated: Sep 03, 2019 22:37 IST

Hanuma Vihari proved to be one of the best players for India in the recently concluded Test series against West Indies. The batsman scored two fifties and a hundred in the series, and was the leading run scorer in the series with 289 runs in four innings. The middle-order batsman has already earned plaudits from skipper Virat Kohli, who praised the youngster’s work ethic and temperament following the series clean sweep against Windies.

Vihari was part of India’s 2012 U-19 World Cup winning team, which was led by Delhi cricketer Unmukt Chand. Despite being marked for success, Chand’s career in international career was derailed and he has not made it into the senior international team yet. On being questioned about Vihari’s meteoric rise, Chand said that the batsman will go a long way in his career.

READ | Unmukt Chand on comparisons with Virat Kohli and Prithvi Shaw: ‘My journey is very different’

Speaking in an interview to Times of India, the 26-year-old said: “He is doing really well. He is scoring runs so consistently. First, he scored runs in domestic cricket and now he is doing it for the country as well. I am really happy and proud of the way he is playing. He is a very good player.”

“It feels good when you see your own guys doing well and get praise from all corners. I am sure he will go a long way and will play for a long time for India,” Chand added.

Also read: Post convincing win, Virat Kohli pays ultimate compliment to Hanuma Vihari

The Indian management reposed their faith in Hanuma Vihari ahead of Rohit Sharma for the middle order and the young batsman vindicated this faith by emerging as India’s best batsman in the series. “Hanuma was the stand-out batsman in this game. According to the surface, it was a top-class innings from him,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony after India demolished West Indies by 257 runs to sweep the Test series 2-0 here on Monday.

“He is someone who is sure of his game and it shows. The dressing room feels calm when he’s batting. That’s a quality he possesses naturally.”