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'It's a knock equal to scoring a ton', Ashwin hails Vihari's batting amid injury
Ashwin praised Hanuma Vihari's patient batting who scored a 161-ball 23 after suffering a hamstring injury.
After playing a crucial knock to save the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Hanuma Vihari's patient batting who scored a 161-ball 23 after suffering a hamstring injury. The latter pulled his hamstring at the start of his innings and was struggling to run between the wickets.
He also stated that it wasn’t easy to chase 400, especially after India lost set batsmen Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara.
After resuming their innings at 98 for 2 on the fifth day, Pujara (77 off 205) and Rishabh Pant (97 off 118) kept India on course with a 148-run stand after losing skipper Ajinkya Rahane (4) early. The dangerous-looking stand was foiled by Nathan Lyon who dismissed Pant in the 80th over while Puajara was cleaned up by Josh Hazlewood.
However, the duo of Hanuma Vihari and Ashwin stood ground and fought a long battle as they together faced 256 deliveries, helping the tourists to finish on 334 for 5.
After the match ended, Ashwin compared Vihari's unbeaten knock to scoring a hundred.
“Chasing 400 in Sydney was never going to be easy, as the ball was going up and down. That knock by Pant set us up. After Pujara and Pant's wicket and with Vihari injured, it was going to be difficult to go for the win,” Ashwin told host broadcasters after the match.
“Touring Australia is never easy so Vihari can be proud of himself. It was a knock equal to scoring a hundred. I was just telling the batting coach during the lunch break that I have never left the SCG without a fifty, this is a venue where I have done well with the bat and today's innings is right up there,” he added.
Ashwin also said that the result made the dressing room environment electric and added that facing pacer Pat Cummins was a ‘difficult task’.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is electric. In Test cricket we don't get a lot of draws, it was a really exciting last session. I just went to Pujara and told him, you sold me down the river in both the innings,” the spinner said.
“Cummins was bowling in a different league altogether. There was a bit of double bounce, so it was difficult against Cummins. I think facing Bumrah in the nets is not easy. We have bowlers who can bowl in the 150s. I have been batting well in the nets, so it was great to spend some time in the middle,” Ashwin added.
Batting out 131 overs – the most India have batted in the fourth innings of a Test since 1980 – showed exactly what Ashwin meant when he spoke about playing like true warriors at the end of the fourth day's play.
(With Agency Inputs)
