Test Specialist, Hanuma Vihari, was recently asked to make a choice between the four pillars of Indian batting of the by-gone era.
The Fab Four of Indian cricket, comprised of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. The international careers of the four mainstays intersected during the late ’90s and culminated until the better part of the 2000s.
It was Sachin who first made his mark in 1989 during the Pakistan tour. Then, Ganguly and Dravid established themselves in the national side during the 1996 England tour. Later on, Laxman joined the national team in 1998.
The four dominated world cricket by amassing a whopping tally of almost 89,000 runs overall in international cricket.
Andhra Pradesh captain, Vihari, when asked to choose, went ahead with Sachin as his favourite out of the four legends of Indian cricket.
“Sachin Tendulkar will always be my favourite (among the Fab 4). He was my role model while growing up like many other youngsters. But all four had great qualities and were unique in their own ability. So, it was great watching them together in that era. But Sachin sir was always my favourite,” Vihari told Sporstkeeda on an Instagram Live session.
Vihari, given an opportunity during 2018 India’s tour of England, went on to become a regular feature in the whites for India.
The Andhra stalwart brought his maiden Test ton against West Indies in 2019, after smashing a half-century in his very first outing. Also, during the Test series against England, Vihari displayed his all-round abilities by picking the prized scalps of Alastair Cook, Sam Curran and Joe Root.
“I take my bowling seriously, it gives me an edge. My bowl gives that extra advantage for me and the team. I bowl in the nets regularly, the more I bowl, the better I get,” the 26-year-old added.
“It was surreal, Cook’s last test innings. To get him out in his last Test innings was special because it will be remembered in the history of the game,” concluded Vihari.
