Hanuma Vihari says that there will be enough time to adapt and get back into the desired mode, as the team will play a couple of practice games too, to take on Australia in the forthcoming tour down under.
“Personally it is all about mindset. I just want to be mentally and physically fresh in the run-up to the first Test. I will use all the available opportunities, including the warm-up games, to get into the right frame of mind for the major challenges ahead,” the 27-year-old Vihari told The Hindu recently.
“Definitely it is not the kind of 100 per cent preparation I should have had before the tour because match practice is something totally different,” he said referring to the fact that his last First-Class game was the Test in New Zealand this March before the pandemic broke out.
“We have to work more on fitness and fielding once we land there,” he said.
“It certainly takes time for anyone to get back to competitive cricket after such a long break. It is fine with batting and bowling which I have not missed in the last seven months thanks to the makeshift nets at my place of residence,” Vihari said. “Fortunately, I worked with our Indian team fielding coach Sri sir (R. Sridhar also from Hyderabad) a lot on catching and fielding,” he said.
Vihari said this Australia series would be different as some of the big names are back and in form too.
“But our captain (Virat Kohli) and the coach (Ravi Shastri) always ensure that we have a positive approach to any task on hand,” he said. “Their attack is similar to what we played last time. Of course, we have to expect tough battles,” he added.
Pink ball Test
The soft-spoken Vihari is also excited at the prospect of playing a pink ball Test. “It will be great to play in that pink ball Test at Adelaide. My earlier playing experience is only in the Duleep Trophy match,” he said.
On his targets, Vihari says he wants to be a key performer in the Indian team which is aiming to clinch the prestigious ICC world Test championship.
