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XtraTime Web Desk: The success of India cricketer Hanuma Vihari can be rightly attributed to the sacrifice of his mother Vijayalakshmi and the hard work put in by the cricketer himself. Vijayalakshmi had to take a big decision when her husband passed away. She sacrificed her job to see her son’s career develop as a cricketer.

Vihari loved cricket since childhood days. His parents admitted him to a cricket academy in Khamman district when he was only eight years old. After spending a few months, Vihari was admitted to former Hyderabad cricketer Nagesh Hammond’s coaching centre. It was Hammond who suggested Vihari’s parents to get him enrolled under K John Manoj. It was under Manoj that Vihari flourished his technique in batting.

The family suffered a jolt as Vihari’s father passed away when he was only 11 years old. It was at this juncture Vijayalakshmi had to make a big decision about his son’s future. She had two options in front of her – one to take up the job in the company where Vihari’s father and the other was to manage the family with a monthly widow pension worth Rs 22000.

Hanuma’s mother did not take up the job but instead she concentrated on her son’s cricket development. The first thing she did was to buy a plot of land from the amount received from her husband’s company. She decided to prepare a cement wicket for her son to practice extra few hours. She also purchased a bowling machine for Vihari which could help him hone his batting skills.

In an interview on Cricbuzz’s Spicy Pitch, Vihari spoke about his early life and how his mother has backed him to make it to the top.
According to Vihari,“The one thing that defines my mother is her daring. She is never scared. You could say it’s the hallmark of her identity.”

The sacrifice of Vijalakshmi finally bore fruits when Hanuma made his test debut against England in August 2018. He did not let the team management down as he followed it up with a brilliant half century on debut (56 off 124 balls) at The Oval. In the same test he dismissed former England captain Alastair Cook who was playing his final test match of his career.

Seeing his temperament and technique the slectors included him for the tour of West Indies in 2019. In the second innings of the first test at Antigua, Vihari scored an excellent 93 runs off 128 balls. He followed it up with another brilliant innings, scoring his maiden test hundred in the second test match at Sabina Park in Jamiaca.

In his short test career, Hanuma has already showed signs of a reliable batsman. In his 9 tests so far he has scored 552 runs at a healthy average of 47.83. Hanuma Vihari’s batting style depicts resilience, backed by a solid mentality, the qualities inherited from his mother.