'Not surprised': Sunil Gavaskar EXPLAINS why Hanuma Vihari is not in Indian Test squad for NZ series

File image of Hanuma Vihari. (Source: Twitter)

The non-selection of Hanuma Vihari for the Test series against New Zealand that starts later this month has raised plenty of eyebrows. 

Vihari was among the mainstays in Test team and has done well in whatever chances he has got so far to play for Indian Test side - one Test hundred and four fifties. Not to forget his valiant effort in Sydney to save the Test match that helped India eventually win the series for the second successive time in Australia.

It is true that Vihari does not find a place in India XI when the team plays at home due to a different combination that captain Virat Kohli likes to opt for. That is bringing an all-rounder in place of Vihari and usually it is Hardik Pandya who comes in. 

But to not have Vihari in the Test squad is baffling, knowing he has done no wrong to be missing out. 

Explaining the reason for his ouster, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar said that what went against Vihari is that he has not played any cricket in last few months and the seems to have got off the selectors' radar. The fact that Vihari does not feature in IPL has also ruined his case, feels Gavaskar. 

Speaking on the Sports Tak show, he said, "I really was not surprised to be honest because he hasn’t played any cricket in the interim. He hasn’t played in the IPL so hasn’t had any cricket under his belt in the last three or four months. On the other hand, the others who have been selected have had some cricket, not necessarily Test cricket, so maybe that’s the reason why they came into the picture."

"Also, a lot of times we have seen over the years that the performances in the IPL have invariably been the ones that nudge the selection committee so that seems to have happened. Hanuma Vihari hasn’t played a single IPL game so out of sight, out of mind," he further said.

India play New Zealand in two-match Test series that kickstarts on 25 November in Kanpur. The second Test is scheduled to take place in Mumbai.