Even though he was unable to make a game-changing score, Andhra Pradesh skipper Hanuma Vihari won the hearts of millions when he courageously stepped up to bat for his state team in their Ranji Trophy fourth quarterfinal match against defending champions Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Wednesday (February 1).
Despite suffering an injury to his left-hand wrist on the first day of the match, Vihari made the brave decision to come out and bat on the second day when his team was in dire straits after losing their No. 11 batter Prithvi Raj Yarra on the fourth ball of the 118th over. His valiant effort added valuable runs to his team's total.
Vihari, a right-handed batter, astounded onlookers by batting left-handed and fearlessly facing the Madhya Pradesh pacers with one hand. His courageous effort has now gone viral on social media platforms, captivating viewers with his remarkable display of skill and tenacity.
By lunchtime, Vihari had scored 26 runs in almost ten overs with No. 9 Lalith Mohan, as Andhra pushed their score to 379 for 9. However, their innings was cut short immediately after the break when Saransh Jain trapped Vihari lbw for 27, resulting in Andhra's dismissal.
Before lunch, Vihari managed to play out an entire over from Avesh, and hit two more boundaries to add to his overnight tally of three, including a deftly-guided steer off Avesh to the point boundary. He even managed to push offspinner Jain to point for his second boundary of the morning.
Vihari has had a rollercoaster of a season, amassing 475 runs in 13 innings at an impressive average of 39.58, including two half-centuries.
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