‘You did a great Job’ – Hanuma Vihari reveals Rahul Dravid sent him a text message after SCG Test

Hanuma Vihari who played an instrumental role along with Ashwin for saving third Test match against mighty Australia revealed that after the match he received a heartwarming message from legendary Rahul Dravid which was a special moment for him.

As Dravid is often credited for the development of several Indian players like Rishabh Pant, Shubhman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Washington Sundar and Mohammad Shiraj who played an instrumental role throughout the series against Australia which Men in Blue clinched against Kangaroos by 2-1.

Taking about the third Test match in Sydney India had a daunting task in hand as the last recognized batting pair of Ashwin-Vihari was batting on the crease to save the Test match especially after Jadeja was not fit to bat due to dislocated thumb.  They both batted together for more than 40 overs to clinch the famous draw.  What made Vihari’s knock even more special is that he was suffering from a severe hamstring injury.

But it didn’t dampen his spirit as he played 161 balls to score unbeaten 23 runs to make sure India cross the line along with Ashwin to pull off an iconic draw at Sydney Cricket Ground(SCG).

“Even after the Sydney Test, it was nice of him to send me a text. He said ‘Very well done, you did a great job’. That is the person he is and I respect him for that,” Hanuma Vihari was quoted as saying by India Today.

“I mean, after getting picked in the India A side. Those who were there in the side, Siraj, Saini, Shubman, Mayank, everyone who were part of that side played a lot of cricket together in India A. Also, in the last 3-4 years, we played many India A tours and he was the coach (Rahul Dravid).

“I don’t think we played so many India A tours before. So that bridged the gap between Ranji Trophy and the Indian team. We made the progress quickly. That’s the reason why we are playing our first game or the second game, we are ready for the challenge. We are not behind any other players. He made it possible,” he added.

He added that Dravid deserves all the credit for Indian youngsters  for the way he has guided all junior players. His confidence has played an important role towards shaping youngster to a great extent.