5 things we learnt about India from the first New Zealand Test match

#4 Vihari is yet to nail down his middle-order place

Hanuma Vihari

After 8 Test matches, scoring nearly 500 runs at an average of 37, many would say Hanuma Vihari has made a decent start to his Test career. However, his statistics are heavily skewed by two home Tests against the West Indies, where the middle batsmen scored over half of his Test runs and made his only century to date. If you look outside of those 2 Tests, you see a player whom averaged just 19 in 6 games, chalking up just a single half century.

Granted that all Indian batsmen struggled, perhaps with the exception of Mayank Agarwal in teh second innings, Vihari came to bat when the ball was not even new. If Vihari is to be a long term success in the middle order of this Indian line-up, he will have to find consistency outside of subcontinent conditions. With the pressure ramping up for places, especially with the return of Rohit Sharma and the recent sublime form of K L Rahul, Vihari is in desperate need of a good, impressive score.