'Being with Indian Test team has increased my confidence' – Hanuma Vihari

Vihari, 25, made an instant impact at the elite level, notching a half-century on his Test debut at Oval in September last year. He was also part of India's historic Test series victory in Australia thereafter, playing three Tests in the four-match series.

Vihari has since returned to domestic cricket, and scored 114 and 180* for a Rest of India side against Vidarbha, India's first-class champions, in the Irani Cup. "Being with the Test team increased my confidence levels," Vihari told ESPNCricinfoon Friday, 15 February.

"Once you know you belong to the highest levels, you have the confidence of dominating domestic cricket in a way."

Vihari, however, has been dominating domestic cricket for a while now – ahead of his debut last year, he was hailed for his first-class average of 59.45, a figure that surpassed the first-class averages of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.

That was down to his plundering of runs in domestic cricket – he scored 1056 first-class runs in the 2017-18 domestic season – and though he hasn't yet managed to do that in Tests, there was plenty he learnt at the highest level.

"Playing with the Indian Test side has taught me that you have to be decisive with your footwork," he said. "Especially with your defence. If you have confidence in your defence, then you can play shots accordingly. You can select which shot you want to play according to the ball. But first of all, you need to trust your defence."

Even though he has made the step up to the Test side, Vihari said domestic cricket would always be a priority. "Domestic cricket has always been my grassroots. I've always known that I can score runs consistently in domestic cricket," he said.

"But, yes, I don't take my domestic cricket lightly. I play with the same intensity as international cricket."