Shubman vs Vihari: Is Hanuma Vihari better than Shubman Gill on foreign pitches? Statistics are the witness, you also take a look

Posted on 30th Dec 2023 by rohit kumar

India had to face a crushing defeat in the first Test against South Africa played in Centurion. The team led by Temba Bavuma defeated the Indian team by an innings and 32 runs. After this defeat, former cricketers strongly criticized the Indian players. Team India lost the match in three days. India's new number three in Tests, Shubman Gill, is being criticized the most.

 

Shubman Gill has not been able to prove himself yet in the longest format of cricket. While his average and strike rate in ODIs and T20s are unmatched, his average in Tests is worse than Hanuma Vihari's. In such a situation, discussion about Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Vihari has started once again on social media. Team India could not even touch the 250 mark in both the innings in Centurion.

 

Vihari, Pujara, and Rahane were dropped from the team after the arrival of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman. While Pujara and Rahane are 35+ years of age, Vihari is only 30 years old. He played an important role in the historic Test series against Australia in 2020-21. He batted for several hours despite injury along with Ashwin to draw the Sydney Test. However, he was suddenly dropped from the team.

 

However, now the demand to bring back Hanuma has started rising on social media. Before Shubman, KL Rahul used to open the Test, but Shubman's entry took Rahul out of the playing 11. Then Rishabh Pant was the main wicketkeeper of India. However, after Pant's accident and Yashasvi's entry, Rahul got a place in a new role in the Test team. He is playing test matches as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

 

Shubman's record

So far, Shubman has scored 994 runs in 35 innings of 19 Tests at an average of 31.06. There are two centuries and four half-centuries. So far, Gill has scored 417 runs in 14 innings of eight Tests at an average of 32.08 on Indian soil. These include one century and two half-centuries. At the same time, in 21 innings of 11 Tests on foreign soil, he has scored 577 runs at an average of 30.37. These include one century and two half-centuries.

 

The two centuries that Shubman has scored on foreign soil have come on the soil of Bangladesh and the West Indies. Among SENA countries, Shubman's record in Australia is excellent and he has not played in New Zealand yet. At the same time, in England, he has scored only 14.67 runs in six innings, and in South Africa he has scored runs at an average of 14 in two innings. Shubman has only two 50+ scores in Tests outside Asia.

 

Hanuma Vihari's test record

Whereas, if we talk about Hanuma Vihari, he has scored 839 runs for India in 28 innings of 16 Tests at an average of 33.56. These include one century and five half-centuries. Hanuma has played only three Tests on home soil and has been tested more on foreign soil. Hanuma has scored 134 runs in four innings of three Tests in India at an average of 33.50. This includes one half-century.

 

At the same time, in 24 innings of 13 Tests on foreign soil, Hanuma has scored 705 runs at an average of 33.57. These include one century and four half-centuries. Hanuma's record is better than Gill's in SENA countries except Australian soil. In Australia he averaged 20.33, in England he averaged 21.75, in New Zealand he averaged 21.50 and in South Africa, he averaged 60 in two innings. His three half-centuries on foreign soil have come in England, New Zealand, and West Indies. Hanuma scored his only century on West Indies soil.

 

Shulman vs vihara

The biggest difference between Shubman and Hanuma is that Shubman has played only two batting positions in his Test career so far. He was opening till the final of the World Test Championship 2023, but after that, Shubman was given the number three position. At the same time, Hanuma batted from opening to number seven. In such a situation, he can compensate for the lack of an experienced batsman at number three.

 

Earlier in the Test, India's number three was Cheteshwar Pujara and he also had expertise in defense. Hanuma also has expertise in defense and he could prove to be a better replacement for Pujara. However, Shubman will have to return to form soon, otherwise he may have to lose the team in this format.

 

Also Read: IND vs SA: 'One of the 10 best innings in Indian Test history', Gavaskar praised KL Rahul's century