Rahul Dravid told me I've got the skillset and temperament - Hanuma Vihari
A fifty on debut is just the start for India's new batsman after contributing to his team's third-day fightback
Initially I felt the pressure, to be honest. Going in yesterday, cloudy conditions and Stuart Broad and (James) Anderson bowling at you. I had nerves. With that, I wasn't good with my decision-making. But having Virat at the other made my job a little easier, I guess. His inputs helped me initially. He's been playing very confidently throughout the series and he's confidence boosted me at the other end. I will give a lot of credit to him for helping me out yesterday 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.
Nerves make you do unusual things. If I don't have any pressure on me, if I settle down nicely, I don't think any ball will cause me trouble. Yesterday, I definitely had problems facing the incoming delivery but Virat gave me some cues so that I could play it comfortably. I tried doing that yesterday. And even this morning, I tried to negate that inswinging ball, especially from Broad. I did it more comfortably than in the initial stages.
I got to know the day before the match. 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, very happy as well. Getting a fifty on debut is just the start.
I called him [Dravid] the day before I made my debut and told him I was making my debut. He spoke to me for a couple of minutes and gave his inputs and I thought it eased my nerves a little bit, because it is coming from a legend and you know that you belong here. He just told me that you have the skillset, you have the mindset and the temperament, just go out there and enjoy yourself. I would like to give him a lot of credit for that because my journey with India A was very important for me to come here, because not only that I performed there, but the way he gave us inputs, that made me a better player.
Nagraj Gollapudi is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo