Hanuma Vihari boards flight to England, set to play county cricket for Warwickshire

New Delhi, April 6: Hanuma Vihari might not feature in the IPL 2021, but the Indian batsmen will not miss on cricket as the doughty right-hander is all set to prepare for the upcoming six-Test season in England by playing for county side Warwickshire.

Vihari has left for England and will be a part of the Birmingham-based county side for at least three games this season. "Yes, Vihari will be playing in the English county side for Warwickshire this season. He would play a few games. He is already in England now," a senior BCCI official told PTI.

The Warwickshire official page hasn't made the announcement yet but as per BCCI officials, the modalities are being worked out.

"The contract is being chalked out. He will play a minimum of three games. We are trying to figure out if there is a chance to play a few more," the official said.

Vihari last played in the IPL back in 2019 for Delhi Capitals and since then has gone unsold at the successive auctions after being billed as a Test specialist. The 27-year-old has scored 624 runs in 12 Tests for India at an average of 32. He has hit a hundred and four half centuries.

Vihari's last India outing was in the Sydney Test against Australia, where his epic four-hour vigil (23 not out), with a torn hamstring alongside R Ashwin, saved the game for the visiting team. He came back after an intense rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru but had an indifferent Vijay Hazare Trophy for Andhra, scoring only a single half-century and failing to reach double digits in the next five games.

"With a curtailed domestic season this time and Vihari being a part of the Test side, he needs match practice. All his other Test colleagues are part of the IPL teams including Cheteshwar (Pujara). Even if it's white ball games, they will be fit and match-ready," the source said.

"However, we need to ensure that Vihari also gets game time before the England tour. It's not just one World Test Championship final but it's followed by a full-fledged five-Test series. We need him ready," he added.