Hanuma Vihari added to India A squad for tour of South Africa after New Zealand Test series snub

Vihari was one of the notable absentees from the Test side picked for the home series against New Zealand

Indian batsman Hanuma Vihari has been added to the India A squad for the tour of South Africa, confirmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after he was left out of the Test series against New Zealand.

India's Hanuma Vihari walks from the field after he was run out for four runs during play on day three of the third cricket test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021.  (AP)

BCCI on Friday named the 16-member squad (will be 17 in next Test) for the impending Test series against New Zealand with vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane set to lead India in the first Test before regular skipper Virat Kohli returns for the second match.

The last time Vihari played for India, he had suffered a hamstring tear, but fought valiantly against the pain and the Australian attack to help India save the Sydney Test in January, a result that played a pivotal role in the team's historic series win Down Under. Despite the effort, Vihari failed to find his name on the squad for the New Zealand series, and there has been no explanation on the part of the selection committee on the decision.

However, India's philosophy in playing XI selection might be the reason behind Vihari's exclusion given that the team plays with five specialist batters at home. In fact, Vihari has managed to feature in only one home Tests in his 12-match career.

With India set to play South Africa next, the team management must have felt the need for Vihari to get acclimatised to the overseas conditions with the 'A' team.

The boatrd had announced the India A squad on Tuesday. It features Priyank Panchal as captain along with the inclusion of RCB young batter Devdutt Padikkal, and Sunrisers Hyderabad's latest pace sensation Umran Malik.

The team will play 3 four-day matches in South Africa, which will take place on November 23, November 29 and December 6 in Bloemfontein.

India 'A' squad for South Africa tour: Priyank Panchal (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Baba Aparajith, Upendra Yadav (wicket-keeper), K Gowtham, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Umran Malik, Ishan Porel, Arzan Nagwaswalla