After saving India in Sydney, what can Hanuma Vihari do to save himself?

How things can change in this sport. Just months ago, Hanuma Vihari, at the forefront of a once-in-a-generation heist, was the toast of the entire nation. Until his 161-ball marathon in Sydney, India’s star-studded team had been hacked down by injury, and the prospect of reaching Brisbane with the series still level looked bleak.

Just over six months since, Vihari is back in the Test squad but is likely to spend most of the English summer warming the benches. Indian cricket is moving at frenetic pace and spots are difficult to reclaim once lost. In Vihari’s case, the obstacle wasn’t his form or his skill-set, but a hamstring strain sustained on the same day he pulled off the Sydney masterclass. Each lunged defensive stroke lessened India’s chances of defeat and likely lengthened his absence from the Test side. And as he hobbled out of the team, the spots quickly got filled with the return of the fit-again first-choice members.

It’s easy to overlook Vihari in a stream of Indian superstars; he plays only Test cricket, doesn’t have an IPL contract and isn’t seen in high-profile commercials or on billboards. What he does is play hard, old-fashioned cricket, essaying the job of a red-ball grafter who isn’t defined by mere numbers, even though he averages a fine 55.92 in first-class cricket.

After his hamstring injury, Vihari could only watch as the India team conquered the home series against the visiting English side – Rishabh Pant became invaluable, Axar Patel was a revelation, and Rohit Sharma all but sealed his opening spot. It meant that the middle-order competition further intensified, and questions on the opening spot had finally been dispelled. For Vihari, who has batted at No.6 and No.7 or opened the innings, a full-strength Indian team means that there’s no space to re-enter.

And while the rest of his teammates played the IPL, Vihari travelled to the UK for a county stint with Warwickshire, looking to sharpen his skills in a country where India will spend the next four months playing Test cricket. The numbers might not exactly signify a breakthrough stint, but Vihari had his moments of brilliance — a fifty in a chase against a quality Essex attack including Simon Harmer and a screamer at square leg.

That India retained Vihari speaks of the management’s trust in his abilities and a clear indication that his stoic batting style is still required on tours abroad. India has always longed for a stonewaller to save them in tricky overseas conditions, and Vihari has shown he belongs.

In fact, his debut three years ago was at The Oval, where he batted over three hours to soften the impact of a middle-order collapse. He scored a fifty, seemingly adjusting well to the conditions on offer, and over the next two years, popped up with significant contributions without grabbing headlines. A century and 93 in the Caribbean, and a vital half-century in New Zealand spoke about his versatility to read surfaces and apply his game.

However, the upcoming England tour might not see him get much game time: with Ravindra Jadeja back, India’s top seven is all but sealed. If at all, Vihari can challenge an out-of-sync Ajinkya Rahane, who has one fifty in his last 11 innings, but even that looks unrealistic, given Rahane’s leadership stature and batting reputation.

A bold call could be including Vihari as an extra batsman, and playing three specialist bowlers alongside Jadeja. Vihari’s off-spin might not be as skilful as R Ashwin’s, but it’s effective nonetheless and gives India some cover. More importantly, it gives India the confidence of having a reliable head in the form of Vihari down the order, who can arrest the slide if India’s top order has a collective off day. With Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal also in the mix, the squad is replete with middle-order options.

Not so long ago, Vihari battled through pain and adversity to stitch together an innings that will stand as a symbol of admirable defiance in Indian history. It’s the sort of batting India has wished for over the last decade, where tours to England have often been overshadowed by inadequate batting performances. The extent of Vihari’s participation on the tour could be based purely on conditions and team balance, and even if he gets a chance, there’d always be a sword hanging over his head, with the heightened competition around him. Vihari is well-equipped to steer his career forward and save India, if only he gets a chance.