Hyderabad: The pain of not being picked by his home franchise at the IPL auction still hurts Hyderabad’s most promising batsman. And as the cricket caravan comes home after frolicking in the Gulf, a vexed Vihari has decided to pack his bags and leave town for the greener pastures of England. The 20-year-old will play for the Hutton Cricket Club in the Essex county league as its lone overseas professional.
The Essex league runs from May 9 to August 30 during which Vihari’s team will be involved in about 30 matches, just what the Hyderabadi needs at this point of time. “That should be a good platform to gain valuable experience in English conditions.
I have always dreamt of playing Test cricket and believe this is a chance to improve my game, which in turn will contribute to my larger goal,” Vihari told this newspaper on Friday, eve of his departure. Vihari has never been to England but is “looking forward to the challenge and a lifetime experience of playing as a professional.”
For the record, the Sunrisers have been pretty harsh on Vihari, who was instrumental in winning them at least two matches last year, evident from his Man of the Match awards. Not only did they snub him at February’s auction — despite his name cropping up in the main, short and second lists — but also rubbed it in by calling him for a practice match later and not giving him the chance to bat, a cruel joke the mild-mannered Vihari terms “frustrating.”
That is surely an understatement, for Vihari is the leading run-getter for Hyderabad in the 2013-14 Ranji season having aggregated 841 including two tons and a double century at an astonishing average of 93.44. For now, the top order batsman is looking at the sunny side of sharpening his skills at the home of cricket as he is determined “to come back stronger.”
