On India's previous tour of the Caribbean in 2019, Hanuma Vihari realised his childhood dream of scoring a Test century. Four years on and 10 Tests later, Vihari finds himself at a crossroads.
When Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped during the home series against Sri Lanka early last year, Vihari replaced him at No. 3. It's a spot he managed to hold on to for just three Tests, in which he made scores of 58, 31, 35, 20 and 11.
Two of those innings were on a rank turner in Bengaluru where India beat Sri Lanka in under three days. Two others were in Birmingham, in the fifth Test against England in July last year, where there was seam and swing to counter. Not new, but certainly challenging.
Vihari hasn't played for India since that Test. His overall numbers read: 839 runs in 28 innings with five fifties and one hundred. At 29, Vihari is now trying to find a balance between manufacturing a comeback and trying to maximise every opportunity that comes his way.
On Wednesday, the same day Vihari leads out South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against West Zone in Bengaluru, it's likely India will field a debutant in Yashasvi Jaiswal at No. 3, half a world away in Dominica against West Indies.
Vihari isn't one to hope for someone to fail for him to get his chance, but after months of letting the feeling of being dropped gnaw at him, he says he has learnt to let go and is now only focusing on starting afresh.
"It's always tough to make a comeback," Vihari said in Bengaluru during the Duleep Trophy semi-final, where he made a quickfire 43 on a tense final day to seal victory. "Once you're dropped, it plays on your mental side as well. It affects your mindset. I've gone through that last season.
"This season, I want to keep everything aside and focus on my batting, try to get better at my skills and do what I've been doing best for the last 12 years in first-class cricket. If it happens, it happens. If not, I'll try to keep getting better and help my state side or zone."
Vihari admits finding motivation can be hard after being dropped. But he's also aware there is no other way out but to find new answers to old questions.
"It's very tough to be motivated. That's where family really plays a part. They've been supportive, they understand what I'm going through. It's a difficult phase. If anyone says we are motivated to come back, maybe they are.
"For me, it took a lot of time to understand why I was dropped and then to again get motivated to try and make a comeback. I try to work on my game both mentally and physically. Now I'm in a good space; I want to go out there and get runs. The rest I leave it to the selectors."
Vihari isn't sure why he was dropped at the time he was but wants to draw inspiration from Ajinkya Rahane's comeback story. A year and a half after being left out, Rahane returned to the Indian team for the World Test Championship final and is now in the Caribbean as vice-captain of the Test side.
"I'm not sure still," Vihari said when asked if he'd found an answer to why he was left out. "I thought whenever I got a chance, I did my best. Maybe my best was not good enough for the Indian team. But again, I will try to keep getting better. That's all you can do as a sportsman. Keep getting better in different aspects. I'll continue doing that this coming season.
"Hope is always there until you retire that you can come back. I'm still 29 and have a lot of time to go. I've seen Ajinkya Rahane make a comeback at 35. I have a long way to go. I still feel I can contribute to the Indian side in the Test format, especially if I can get some runs in the domestic season."
In two years, they have gone from Rahane to Cheteshwar Pujara to KL Rahul to Jasprit Bumrah to Rishabh Pant and back to Rahane
Vihari, though, knows he doesn't have the benefit that Rahane enjoyed - an IPL season to further his case. He played the last of his 24 IPL games in 2019, aggregating 284 runs in the competition overall at a strike rate of 88.47, and has gone unsold at the auctions since. Vihari said he has worked on his white-ball game but perceptions that he is a "Test player" haven't helped.
"You can't do anything, I was doing commentary this season," Vihari said when asked what one could possibly do in the situation he finds himself in, where he doesn't play in the IPL.
"Everyone says 'he's a Test player', they brand me as a Test player. I don't think its fair. I have grown as a white-ball player as well, but many don't believe that because they brand you as a certain player, only red-ball or white-ball. It's not fair on both sides.
"A quality player can play all formats. If you've seen me over the years, I've been contributing to all teams. Hopefully I can make a comeback in IPL and white-ball to be seen more in public. Many players have been making a comeback in IPL and getting opportunities in red-ball cricket. Going forward, I want to play all formats. I want to be challenged in all formats. I'm just 29, I'm looking to make a comeback in all formats."