The decision to bowl young rookie bowler Gade Hanuma Vihari in the second over was made by Kumar Sangakkara. The bold gamble by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s skipper proved to be one of the turning points of the home team’s five-run win against Bangalore that was decided in the one-over eliminator on Sunday.
Sangakkara saw the young Hyderabadi lad bowl at the nets and told in the team meeting that he would like to open the bowling with Dale Steyn and Vihari. The Hyderabad lad with his first delivery removed the dangerous Chris Gayle for one.
“I was told before the match and I accepted the challenge. I bowl both medium pace and off-spinners. I decided to bowl off-spin and that particular ball bounced more and took the edge of Gayle’s bat. I think he was deceived by the extra bounce. It was the biggest wicket of my career. We all knew about Gayle’s brutal batting,’’ said Vihari, who was part of the U-19 team that won the World Cup in Australia.
“I was on cloud nine. I could not believe initially and then I realised that I had made a big breakthrough for the team. It was a big moment for me,’’ he said.
Playing in the quaint street of Bowenpally, the 19-year-old has blossomed into one of the promising cricketer from the city.