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Hanuma Vihari is looking forward to featuring for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final next month. The batsman, who admitted he is excited to be part of the occasion, was quick to stress the importance of focussing on the task at hand.
India and New Zealand will clash in the inaugural edition of the WTC final in Southampton from June 18 as per WTC final schedule.
A few players from both sides sat down with the ICC to discuss the WTC final, with Hanuma Vihari admitting that being a part of the showpiece event is a great feeling.
“I am excited but I don’t want to show it too much. You want to be in the moment and don’t want to get carried away from the importance of the situation. As a sportsman to be able to play in the final for India at the inaugural Test championship is always a great feeling,” Vihari claimed.
Although Hanuma Vihari is part of the India squad for WTC final, it remains to be seen whether he will be part of the playing XI. The batsman is competing with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for one of the last remaining slots in the team.
The 27-year-old is currently in England for a county stint with Warwickshire, but he has failed to get going in the competition. Hanuma Vihari has scored just 100 runs in three games at an average of 16.66.
Kane Williamson echoes Hanuma Vihari’s feelings
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson also admitted that he is excited to play in the NZ squad for WTC final against India. The star batsman also praised the WTC format for providing some much-needed context to Test cricket.
“I think we saw the context of the Test Championship brought in real excitement. We saw that in declarations, games getting really tight. Saw it in the India-Australia series, our series here against Pakistan with results had to be hard-fought for and you are willing to risk it to win it. It's really, really exciting to be involved in the final, obviously to win it would be that much better. Whenever you play India, it’s a fantastic challenge. It’s really exciting to be playing them,” Williamson said.
Neil Wagner joins Kane Williamson and Hanuma Vihari in discussing the upcoming WTC final. The left-arm pacer, who explained how Southampton will throw up a series of challenges for both teams, praised India’s pace battery for their quality.
Also see the latest World Test Championship final live score here.
“There are a lot of quality bowlers on show. I think India’s got a number of quality fast bowlers that have shown they can perform anywhere around the world. We know at Southampton it can swing around when it’s overcast. It tends to nip around a little bit, but when the sun comes out and there is a little bit of wind around, it tends to be quite flat and nothing happens again. We know that it could be a little of four seasons in one, but conditions can change quite quickly throughout the day. Let’s not get carried too much and I guess we have to control the controllables,” Wagner concluded.
Most members of New Zealand’s WTC final squad are already in England, with the Kiwis set to play two Tests against the host nation before the ICC event. Hanuma Vihari will be joined by the rest of his Indian teammates in June.
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