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'He has to slam 100s to get a chance. Scoring 50s, 60s not going to help': Azharuddin's advice for India Test batter
Former captain Mohammad Azharuddin has come up with an important advice for India's Test specialist.
India will return to Test cricket in June when the all-important rescheduled Test against England will be held at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. The result of the match will decide the outcome of the Pataudi Trophy which came to an abrupt end due to Covid last year with India leading the series 2-1. Provided India win or even if the match ends in a draw, it would be their first Test series win in England since 2007.
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Keeping the importance of the series in mind, the BCCI selectors last month named India's Test squad, which saw Cheteshwar Pujara return to the fold after missing out the home series against Sri Lanka. Pujara was dropped after the South Africa series following a string of low scores but with a resurgence in form, that saw him peel off four centuries in Country cricket, the path was paved for his return to the team.
Pujara's return means that he will be a sure shot starter in the Playing XI, which means that the batter who had replaced him in the Sri Lanka series, Hanuma Vihari, might once again have to wait for his chance. Vihari, one of the stars of India's Test series win in Australia in early 2021, played the two Tests against Sri Lanka in March where despite getting starts, he failed to register a single big score. In the three innings, Vihari produced scores of 31, 35 and 58 while batting at No. 3. Vihari is 28 and he has time ahead of him, but former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin feels the batter needs to put up bigger scores if he wishes to get a longer rope with the Test team.
"It's very important for him to get the big scores. He has to score hundreds to grab the chance. Scoring only 50s and 60s is not really going to help him. He is an outstanding player. But you can play for India for a long time only when you get the big runs consistently," Khaleej Times quotes Azharuddin as saying.
It was in 2018 in England itself that Vihari played his first Test for India, scoring a fine half-century on debut. In four years, Vihari has represented India in 15 Tests scoring 808 runs with five fifties and one century. He famously opened for India in the 2018 MCG Test where he saw off the new ball scoring 8 off 66 balls and on the next tour, stitched a heroic partnership with R Ashwin to help India to a famous draw at the SCG.
