Published: Dec 09, 2016, 11:55 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 09, 2016, 11:55 PM (IST)
Haseeb Hameed, the young batting prodigy for England, had to suffer from a broken finger during the first innings of the third Test between India and England. India had won the Test by 8 wickets to attain an unassailable lead in the 5-match series. Hameed batted despite broken finger, scoring a resilient 59 not out after he sustained the injury while defending a bouncer from Umesh Yadav in the first innings. It was this injury that has forced him out of the entire India tour. However, he had left for England, got himself treated, and came back to cheer for England. He was spotted in stands of Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai during the first day of the fourth Test between India and England.
After England’s defeat in the third Test, Hameed was seen in a deep conversation with Virat Kohli. Recalling the same, Hameed was quoted on ESPNCricinfo: “I actually took Moeen Ali with me … After I found out I was going home, I said as a bit of a joke, let’s see if we can get hold of Virat for a couple of minutes.
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“He’s probably the most sought-after man in world cricket at the minute. I didn’t want to miss that opportunity. Within a couple of minutes he came out. He was great. He said ‘I’m happy to do that, now or later, whenever you want’. He was very obliging.
“I was just trying to get an insight into the way he goes about his business: what he thinks, because that’s what sets him apart from other players in the world. The look on his face when he walked out and got runs… I could tell straightaway that he means business and then he went on and delivered. Off the field he’s very humble, I found, and very open with me. I was very grateful for that.”
Hameed had a phenomenal run in the first 3 Tests against India as he amassed 219 from the 6 innings that he batted in at an impressive average of 43.80 with a highest score of 82. With the amount of composure that he displayed in his batting, especially in the second innings of the Mohali Test, he has definitely caught the eye as his presence had solved the woes of an opening partner for skipper Alastair Cook.
“That was partly the reason why I had a couple of nets beforehand: to make sure I was ready. I found that, by trying to get my finger on the bat, it was probably causing me more pain and it felt quite restrictive. So I felt it was better to just hold the bat as hard as I could with the three other fingers. The physio actually said that most of the grip strength comes from the little finger, hence why I found it difficult to start off with. But the more I batted, the more I felt comfortable with it. It went all right,” Hameed recalled.
