Hanuma Vihari admits having cheat meals during COVID-19 lockdown

As the whole country has been sent into lockdown as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, Indian batsman Hanuma Vihari on Sunday accepted that he is having some cheat meals these days as he spends some time away from the game.

The cricketer also went on to reveal that his favourite cricket series is Ashes 2005 and he is watching that continuosly now to pass the time.

"I have been tempted to indulge in some home-cooked food, and I will admit I have cheated just a little, eating a few more dosas than I would normally. So more carbs, yeah, but then I have enough time to work out and burn the extra calories," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Vihari as saying.

"I know boredom will set in easily, but I have a solution for that: watching the 2005 Ashes on video. It is my favourite. I have lost count of how many times I have watched it," he added.

The middle-order batsman realises that there is no Test cricket for him in the next three-to-four months, and as a result, he is looking forward to the series against Australia later this year.

"Mentally I am trying hard to keep myself positive and busy. My challenge is: there is no cricket for the next three to four months. I do have a summer to look forward to having signed with a team in the English County Championship, where my contract starts from late August," Vihari said.

"Fingers crossed about that. I am going to use this time to focus on my fitness, sharpen my skills for county cricket as well as for the Australia tour in late 2020," he added.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, cricketing action across the globe has come to a halt.

The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced that England's tour to Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series has been suspended due to the pandemic.

The ODI series between India-South Africa and Australia-New Zealand have also been postponed.

Indian Premier League's (IPL) 13th edition has been suspended until April 15.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has suspended all forms of cricket for the next 60 days after the country's president Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster in the country.