The Chetan Sharma-headed selection panel named the 16-member squad for the upcoming two Test matches against New Zealand earlier this week. While the selectors rested a few regulars, they also made surprising inclusions and exclusions. The absence of Hanuma Vihari from the Test squad was one of the talking points as the right-handed batsman wasn’t even part of the India A squad before the squad announcement.
A few hours after unveiling the Test team, the BCCI added Vihari to the India A squad for the three unofficial Test matches against South Africa A. While his absence from the Test team has drawn mixed reactions from the fans, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that he isn’t surprised with it.
Speaking to Sports Today, the ICC Hall of Famer said that lack of game time could be the reason behind his non-inclusion. “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.
“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.”
Vihari had remained a regular member of the Test squad since his debut in 2018. He made his comeback after injury for the UK tour and was also in the 15-member squad for the World Test Championship final. He didn’t get a game on the UK tour. Vihari has been replaced by Shreyas Iyer, who is uncapped in this format.
The India-NZ Test series kicks off on November 25 with Kanpur hosting the opening game. Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will host the 2nd Test from December 3 to 7.
India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Cheteshwar Pujara (VC), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddiman Saha (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
