Published: Apr 08, 2013, 11:14 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 08, 2013, 11:14 AM (IST)
Hanuma Vihari (left) kept the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the chase with a knock of 44 runs from 46 deliveries against the Royal Challengers Bangalore © PTI
Hyderabad: Apr 8, 2013
Dayanand Cheedi, the assistant to Hanuma Vihari’s chief coach lauded the latter’s match-winning performance in the thrilling game between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday. Cheedi was present at the stadium when Vihari picked up the man-of-the-match award.
“I knew one day his dedication and sincerity would bear fruit,” said the teary-eyed Cheedi to IPLT20.com.
“You should see him at the throw downs, you should see him practice. The amount of hard work he puts into his game, is worth admiring. He is a work horse. He would bat for hours, take throw downs from me and ask me for advices on his game. His chief coach John Manoj would be a happy man today,” he added.
Vihari starred with the bat for the Sunrisers, bailing them out of trouble and keeping them in the chase against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He scored 44 off 46 deliveries and even got the most prized scalp of the dangerous Chris Gayle.
“I did well in the domestic season for Hyderabad and the owners chose me to play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Normally you don’t get chances in the IPL, but am fortunate enough to be playing here. I never thought before the IPL that I would be sharing the dressing room with the greats of cricket. It is like I am living a dream. I am blessed to have got such an opportunity,” said the elated Vihari.
The 19-year-old was ecstatic when he dismissed Gayle in the very first ball of his first over.
“It is a dream come true for me to get Chris Gayle’s wicket. Getting the wicket of the best T20 player in the world in the very first ball is special for me.” Vihari said.
“It was our special plan to bowl spin to Gayle early in the innings. We noticed that he had stuck around in the first six overs in the previous match and then went big towards the end. So the team think tank took a chance by bowling me to Gayle in the very second over of the match. I am glad I got him out and our plan worked,” he added.
Asked if there was tension in the dressing room during the Super-Over, Vihari said, ” I was confident that we would win when Thisara Perera and Cameron White put up 20 runs in the one over eliminator. White and Perera, both are huge hitters and they set up the target perfectly which I thought would put even a destructive batsman like Gayle under pressure. Plus we had a world class bowler in Dale Steyn against whom it was always going to be tough to score.”
Talking about his knock, Vihari said, “The wicket was double paced. I knew I had to bat till the end if my team had to cross the line. It was important for us to keep the wickets in hand till the end so that we could chase down the target.”
“It is always special to play matches like these in front of a huge crowd. These are matches that I will remember for the rest of my life. I dedicate this performance to my mother and all my coaches without whose support I wouldn’t not have been here talking about my performance,” he added.
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