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Watch: Hanuma Vihari returns with fractured wrist, bats one-handed in Ranji Trophy

by Wisden Staff February 1, 2023 - 8:04am 3 minute read

Watch: Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari braved a fractured wrist to walk out and bat left-handed in a Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh.

Vihari had opted to bat in the quarter-final at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Walking out at 37-1 after Gaurav Yadav trapped Abhishek Reddy leg-before, Vihari soon lost CR Gnaneshwar at the other end.

The score read 72-2 when Avesh Khan hit Vihari on the wrist with a snorter. Vihari had to retire hurt on 16, and subsequent scans revealed a fracture.

Wicketkeeper Ricky Bhui (149) and Karan Shinde (110) took Andhra to 262-2 at stumps, and to 323 the next morning, before Anubhav Agarwal (4-72 at the time of writing) triggered a collapse. From 323-2, Andhra quickly slid to 353-9.

Then, to the surprise of many, Vihari walked out to join No.10 A Lalith Mohan. He took guard left-handed to protect his injured wrist. Avesh, the bowler, tried to jam him with a yorker with the first ball: Vihari not only brought his bat down in time but placed it to the cover-point boundary.

Andhra were eventually bowled out for 379. Vihari was the last man dismissed, leg-before to Saransh Jain for 27, while Lalith Mohan remained unbeaten on 22.

To combat spin that came into the left-hander, Joe Root batted left-handed during a Test match during England’s tour of Pakistan earlier this season, as did Sunil Gavaskar in the 1981/82 Ranji Trophy.

However, at Faisalabad in 1986/87, Saleem Malik batted only with his left hand, then only with his right hand, after his arm was broken.

Vihari himself is no stranger to braving pain. At Sydney in 2020/21, he had pulled a hamstring while attempting a single, but he batted for 161 over nearly four hours to help India save the Test match.