A bundle of nerves ahead of his Test debut, Hanuma Vihari said a phone call to Rahul Dravid put his mind at ease and helped him get the maiden fifty that rescued India from a difficult situation against England.
Vihari scored 56 and put on a vital 77-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (86 not out) to help India post 292 in their first innings on Sunday.
"I called him the day before I made my debut. He spoke to me for a couple of minutes and I thought it eased my nerves a little bit. He is a legend of the game; and his inputs especially in the batting department (helped me)," Vihari spoke about the influence of the former captain, who is currently the India A coach.
"He just told me that 'you have the skill set; you have the mind set and the temperament, just go out there and enjoy yourself'...I would like to give him a lot of credit because my journey with India A was very important for me to come here, his inputs made me a better player."
Vihari said that he was nervous while facing James Anderson and Stuart Broad in his maiden innings.
"Initially I felt the pressure to be honest...But once I got myself in, it eased my nerves and it was an important partnership between Jadeja and me," he said.
"They are world-class bowlers. They have 990-odd wickets between them. Going out to bat, I just wanted to be positive in my intent. Especially when Virat is there, you just have to be there with him, rotate the strike and try to build a partnership.
Vihari also credited skipper Virat Kohli for guiding him in his Test debut.
"...Having Virat at the other made my job a little easier I guess. His inputs helped me initially. He gave me some cues so that I could play it comfortably," he said.
"I will give a lot of credit to him for helping me out initially. But once I settled down, the wicket was very good to bat on especially with the medium pacers it got a lot slower yesterday," he added.
Vihari said that he found out about his selection in the team a day before the final Test.
"Obviously, I was very thrilled. Because that was my dream, growing up playing cricket. I first informed my family about it and they were very happy as well.
"It's just the start. I know I have to do a lot of things to cement my place in the Indian team, which I definitely want to do. Getting a 50 on debut is just the start. Going forward, scoring a lot of runs for India is my main goal."