Sachin Tendulkar was reason I started playing cricket, reveals Hanuma Vihari

Having now established himself as a veteran in the domestic circuit, Hanuma Vihari has had quite the journey in the sport of cricket. A right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm off break bowler, he was a member of the India Under-19 cricket team that won the 2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Australia. As a child, Vihari was inspired by someone who has been an inspiration for a generation or two, not only in India but worldwide, someone who was the heartbeat of the nation in the 1990s, 2000s and still is for many - Sachin Tendulkar.

The now-Andhra skipper, who has established himself as a mainstay in the Indian Test side, revealed that it was the legendary Mumbaikar who inspired him to take up the sport and, like many an Indian, Vihari, too, was a part of the brigade that switched off the TV whenever Sachin got out. 

"Sachin sir was obviously my idol when I grew up. That was the reason why I started playing cricket," revealed Vihari in Cricbuzz's 'spicy pitch'. 

“When I was young I used to watch him bat and I loved it. In the 90s he was like the king of batting. Whenever he used to get out, I used to cry and unplug the TV - used to do all such things." 

A classic, textbook batsman who considers patience to be his biggest virtue, Vihari announced himself to the international stage with a ton against a world-class Windies bowling attack at Kingston. The 26-year-old revealed that it's the ability to put a price on his wicket he considers as his biggest strength, something that has helped him cement a place in the Indian side. 

"The thing with me is that I'm very stubborn when I play Test cricket. I don't want to give away my wicket easily - that's the quality I have; it's a big strength for me."