India's 16-member squad for the Test series against New Zealand was bit of mix and match. While Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah were rested, Virat Kohli will return for the second Test in Mumbai. Fast Prasidh Krishna and wicketkeeper KS Bharat and batter Shreyas Iyer earned their maiden Test call-ups, while Shubman Gill returned after missing the England Tests due to injury.
However, despite being one of the prominent faces in India's red-ball setup, Hanuma Vihari's omission from the squad came as a surprise for many. While people expressed shock at the middle-order batter's snub, ex-India captain and batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar said he was not really surprised with the selector's decision.
Vihari, who was not considered for the India-New Zealand Tests, was later added to the A team and will now travel to South Africa.
Explaining the reason behind Vihari getting dropped, the former India cricketer said it was mainly due to lack of cricket as compared to others, as most of them were seen flexing their muscle in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League.
“I really was not surprised to be honest because he hasn’t played any cricket in the interim. He hasn’t played in the IPL so hasn’t had any cricket under his belt in the last three or four months. On the other hand, the others who have been selected have had some cricket, not necessarily Test cricket, so maybe that’s the reason why they came into the picture,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
{{/usCountry}}“I really was not surprised to be honest because he hasn’t played any cricket in the interim. He hasn’t played in the IPL so hasn’t had any cricket under his belt in the last three or four months. On the other hand, the others who have been selected have had some cricket, not necessarily Test cricket, so maybe that’s the reason why they came into the picture,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
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“Also, a lot of times we have seen over the years that the performances in the IPL have invariably been the ones that nudge the selection committee so that seems to have happened. Hanuma Vihari hasn’t played a single IPL game so out of sight, out of mind,” he added.
While Vihari failed to make the cut, KS Bharat, Jayant Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Shreyas Iyer were added in the Test squad.
Virat Kohli has been rested for the opening encounter as Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in his absence. Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara has been elevated to the vice-captain role in the opening clash.