Vihari wants to develop his off-spin

Vihari impressed one and all with a composed 93 in the Indian second innings during the team’s comprehensive 318-run win against the West Indies in the first Test here on Sunday.  Being preferred as the sixth batsman over Rohit Sharma, Vihari, if the quality of his off-breaks improve, could well force Ravichandran Ashwin to cool his heels in near future.

“It is very important that my off-spin keeps developing not only for myself but also for the team. I fit into the team because of the combination that I can be the fifth bowler,” the Andhra right-hander said at the post-match press conference.

“I want to keep improving and keep getting better at it. So hopefully, I will get in more overs and it will help the team better,” he added.

While his choice as an extra batsman kept Ashwin out of the playing XI, the youngster is happy to pick the senior off-spinner’s brains whenever possible. “(I feel) fortunate enough to get help from one of the best spinners in Indian cricket history. It’s nice sharing the dressing room with him and talking to him about off-spin bowling,” Vihari said.

For Vihari, adjusting to the nature of the surface and conditions became easier as he had led India A against the West Indies A in three unofficial ‘Tests’, scoring a hundred and two half-centuries. I knew how the wicket will play,” the 25-year-old stated. Vihari is comfortable in any role that team management asks him to perform.

“I don’t think about all those (juggling batting order) things. If the team wants to play a certain combination, we respect that and go out there and give our best. Sometimes they choose a combination according to the wickets, sometimes it is according to the opposition,” he said.

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