‘It’s a compliment to his grit and determination’: Hanuma Vihari reveals details about Ashwin’s battle in Sydney Test

In an interview with Sports Today, the batsman recounted the incident as "funny" saying that the back injury of the bowler was not letting him bend and hence, Ashwin was taking the blows on his body.

India batsman Hanuma Vihari has revealed the reason why his partner in the iconic Sydney Test, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, did not duck while facing the deadly bouncers thrown by Australian bowlers.

R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari congratulating each other after saving the third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (Twitter)

In an interview with Sports Today, the batsman recounted the incident as "funny" saying that the back injury of the bowler was not letting him bend and hence, Ashwin was taking the blows on his body.

“Funny thing happened, I asked Ashwin if he could flex his knees a little so that he could bend. And he said ‘if I bend my knees, I can’t bat because my back is gone’. That’s why he was standing up to the bouncers.

“On a serious note, the way he batted out was superb. Because of his spasm, he couldn’t sit down, he stood throughout the innings. While he was starting to bat on Day 5, he was always standing in the dressing room as well. So that was his situation and to bat out for 4 hours is a compliment to his grit and determination,” Hanuma Vihari told Sports Today.

After Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara went back to pavilion, Ashwin and Vihari battled out all the odds for a superb partnership recording an unbeaten 62 off 259 balls. While Vihari sustained serious hamstring injury during his innings, Ashwin struggled with back pain which caused him discomfort even during the lunch and tea break.

“The only thing that helped us was they bowled a lot of overs. But I wouldn’t say they were tired. The close-in fielders don’t help as well. You’re always under pressure. Only a small mistake and you’re gone. But like I said, as I was not able to run, I will play as close to the body as possible. I am not looking for runs. So, the basics helped there. The technique which I developed over the years helped me. That defensive technique helped me.

“Ashwin was also communicating in different languages, if you could hear. Like he was talking to me in Tamil, Telugu, trying to make sure we survive. It’s important to communicate as well. Sometimes, we are scoring runs, you’ll be in your own zone. But when you’re looking to survive, that’s where the help came. Ash did that brilliantly with all his experience," he said.