AUS vs IND: Hanuma Vihari likely to miss the Gabba Test; Ravindra Jadeja ruled out
At the start of the tour, India’s captain Virat Kohli had said that Hanuma Vihari is the man whom people should watch out for. With scores of 16, 8, 21, 8, and 23*, it is not happy reading. However, that unbeaten 23 is something that would be hard to forget and in years to come, those 23 runs would be something a lot of Indian fans would look at and heap praises on.
A limping Vihari on a day five Sydney track would be remembered a lot more than any of the hundreds and runs we all hope that the Andhra player will score in the near future. However, Vihari might not be with the side for the last Test match at the Gabba.
Hanuma Vihari might miss the Gabba Test and the home series against England
According to Indian Express, the 27-year-old batsman is sure to miss the final Test, due to an injury that he suffered in Sydney while batting. It has been reported that he was taken for scans after he historically guided India to a draw. The report might come late evening on Monday or Tuesday morning.
“The extent of Vihari’s tear can only be ascertained after the scan reports come through. But even if it’s a grade 1 tear, he is out for at least four weeks and then will need some rehabilitation time. So it’s not only the Brisbane Test but also, he won’t be a part of England Tests at home,” a source revealed.
Shardulk Thakur might replace Jadeja in the squad
Hanuma Vihari is an addition to the long list of injured Indian players. Ravindra Jadeja, who broke his thumb during the Sydney Test, is already ruled out of the Test series and might be replaced by Shardul Thakur. The Mumbai pacer has played only one Test, where he got injured after bowling just 10 balls.
Vihari was battled out for 161 balls, even after having suffered a hamstring issue quite early in the innings. He along with Ravichandran Ashwin put together a 62-run partnership that lasted for more than 40 overs.
In the absence of Jadeja and Vihari, India might actually fall short in getting together a side of 11 players, playing their individual suited role. Either Rishabh Pant might come in as a specialist batsman while Wriddhiman Saha takes the gloves, or we might see either of Mayank Agarwal or Prithvi Shaw coming back for the final Test to fill the gaps in the middle order.
