The India and Andhra player broke his wrist in the first-innings while fending a bouncer but continued on, operating left-handed in the middle.
Hanuma Vihari’s courageous effort in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal is receiving worldwide praise. The India and Andhra right-hander was seen batting as a left-hander in the middle after getting injured earlier in the knock-out match versus Madhya Pradesh, wherein the wrist on his left arm got broken.
Vihari picked up the injury while fending a bouncer from speedster Avesh Khan in the first-innings of the game when he was batting 16 not out. The player went back to the shed retired hurt but shocked everyone by choosing to come out again.
The experienced right-hander took the bat in his non-injured arm and shaped up as a left-handed batter to face the bowling, garnering a huge round of applause from his teammates, who appreciated the man’s commitment and passion towards the team. He managed to stretch his score to 27 off 57 balls before being dismissed.
Stepping back to the dressing room, one assumed that Hanuma Vihari had already played his last part for the fixture, in no position to bat normally or take the field. What followed, though, shocked everyone.
At the fall of Andhra’s ninth wicket for a measly 87 in a horrendous collapse, Hanuma Vihari started walking in the middle with the intention to stretch his team’s third-innings lead that stood at 238 at the time. To give Andhra a semblence of opportunity to take that advantage to at least the 250-260 mark, Vihari came out batting with just one working hand.
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The clip of the same went viral, especially when Vihari shaped up to play a reverse sweep and executed the same. He went on to make 15 off 16 balls but whilst he was there, the rest of the players, including the opposition ones, would’ve had a living example of a player donning grit and bravery like badges of honour.
Do it for the team. Do it for the bunch.
Never give up!!
Thank you everyone for your wishes. Means a lot!! pic.twitter.com/sFPbHxKpnZ— Hanuma vihari (@Hanumavihari) February 1, 2023
The effort captured in a clip has gone viral over social media, with fans leaving no chance to appreciate the effort made by the man. Vihari later explained via a clip posted by him that the intention was to show the opposition Andhra’s “never give up” attitude and lead the bunch with those feelings as captain.
