Hanuma Vihari joins Dada, Dravid in this special list
What's the story
Debutant Hanuma Vihari cracked a defiant 56-run knock in the ongoing 5th Test against England on Day 3 at the Oval. The youngster was under unnecessary pressure as he was criticized by fans in being selected ahead of Karun Nair for the 5th Test. But Vihari stood tall with his near-perfect technique and joined an elite list that features Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
Debut
4th Indian to score 50+ runs on debut in England
By virtue of this innings, Vihari has become the 4th Indian to score 50+ runs in his debut Test innings in England. Rusi Mudi was the first Indian to achieve this feat back in 1946. He had scored 57*. Former India legends Dada and Dravid had smashed 131 and 95 respectively on debut. Both had achieved the milestone in 1996 in the same Test.
Information
Vihari 26th Indian to score 50 on debut
Vihari also became only the 26th Indian to score a 50 on his debut in Tests. The last player from India to hit a 50+ score on debut was Hardik Pandya. He had achieved the same at Galle in 2017 against Sri Lanka.
Confidence
Innings will give him confidence to go forward
Vihari played freely without taking any risks, but finally fell against Moeen Ali. His 56 runs helped India save the blushes after they were reeling at 160/6. He added 77 runs for the seventh wicket with Ravindra Jadeja. Prior to that, he had also stitched a 51-run partnership with skipper Virat Kohli. The innings will give him a lot of confidence going forward.
Vital
Vihari's wicket was vital for England
Vihari amassed 56 runs off 124 deliveries. He went on to hit seven fours and a six. He got out after a tossed up delivery from Moeen Ali forced him to take a stride forward and the ball took a faint edge to keeper Jonny Bairstow. The wicket came at a crucial time for England, just ahead of the lunch break.