London: A bundle of nerves ahead of his Test debut, Hanuma Vihari said a phone call to Rahul Dravid put his mind at ease and helped him get the maiden fifty that rescued India from a difficult situation against England. In his first Test innings Vihari scored 56. assailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
“I called him (Dravid) the day before I made my debut. He spoke to me for a couple of minutes and I thought it eased my nerves a little bit. He is a legend of the game; and his inputs especially in the batting department (helped me),” Vihari said Sunday of the influence of the former India captain, who is currently India A coach.
Having Virat (Kohli) when I went out to bat was important. Initially he guided me a lot and gave me a lot of cues as to how I should play
Hanuma Vihari
“He just told me that ‘you have the skill set; you have the mind set and the temperament, just go out there and enjoy yourself’. I would like to give him a lot of credit because my journey with India A was very important for me to come here, his inputs made me a better player,” added the debutant.
Vihari said that he was nervous while facing James Anderson and Stuart Broad in his maiden innings. “Initially I felt the pressure to be honest, but once I got myself in, it eased my nerves and it was an important partnership between (Ravindra) Jadeja and me,” Vihari informed.
“They are world class bowlers. They have 990-odd wickets between them. Going out to bat, I just wanted to be positive in my intent. Especially when Virat (Kohli) is there, you just have to be there with him, rotate the strike and try to build a partnership,” added Vihari.