Former India opener Gautam Gambhir opined that it’s time for India team management to invest in Hanuma Vihari as Rahane failed once again in the second innings of the Cape Town Test. Things had gone from bad to worse in the series for the Mumbai batter. On the third morning of the decider, Rahane gloved a snorter to the slip off Rabada at the score of 9.
In this 3-match series, Rahane scored 136 runs in 6 innings with an average of 22.66. A fifty in the second innings at Johannesburg probably saved his place for one more test but the selectors would pick a squad for 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka in February-March, his name will be questioned surely.
Gambhir believes that India should move on from Rahane and it’s time to give same backing to Hanuma Vihari. Vihari played the Johannesburg Test match as Kohli missed out the match due to an upper back spasm. Vihari scored a solid 40 in the second innings as he was left stranded.
“Hanuma Vihari should get the first opportunity now. He should be backed as much as Ajinkya Rahane was backed, if not more than at least for 2-3 series,” Gautam Gambhir said while commentating on Star Sports.
Rahane has scored just 3 fifties since Jan 2021
Rahane has struggled for a while now. Since Jan 2021, he scored 547 runs in 27 innings with an average of 20.25 which included only 3 fifties. Pujara also has similar numbers as he scored 810 runs in 30 runs with an average of 27.93 which included 7 fifties. So both of them are the centre of attention for critics as India struggled to put a big total in the series.
KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are the only two batters who could reach to three-figure mark for India in the series.
Meanwhile, Vihari has got chances here and there in every series, might be the one who gets consistent run now. Vihari played 13 Tests across 7 series as he played only one test match in India. So far he scored 684 runs with an average of 34.20 with one hundred and 4 fifties. He famously saved a Test match in Sydney by batting for almost 4 hours which helped India to win the series eventually.
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