Southampton: India batsman Hanuma Vihari says batting in England is challenging, not only because of Dukes balls that do something throughout the day, but also because overhead conditions are unpredictable.
“The Kookaburra gets soft in Australia after a while. But the Dukes does something all day — off the wicket or in the air. There’s always something for the bowlers and that is the key challenge,” said Vihari, who had a three-match stint with Warwickshire county in April.
Vihari had travelled to England after he was ignored by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
Vihari’s stint was unproductive as he failed to score twice, made two scores of eight and managed only one half-century. However, he feels the stint gave him an idea of what to expect in England.
“When I came to England in April, it was quite cold. Even if you believe you are set, you can still be surprised by the movement. Like when I got out in my 30s against Essex, where I thought the wicket was quite good to bat on, but the odd ball was doing something because of the hard seam on the Dukes,” Vihari told espncricinfo.com
