‘You can’t really say it doesn’t hurt,’: Young India batsman after IPL snub

India will face a series of stern tests next year when they travel to New Zealand, England, South Africa and Australia and this is where the worth of Vihari will come through.

Hanuma Vihari has had a stellar start to his Test career and he has established himself in the Test squad, but then had to face disappointment at the IPL auctions when he did not find any takers. This snub has hurt the right-hander, but he is prepared to take it on the chin and move on.

Indian cricketer Hanuma Vihari (AP)

“You can’t really say it doesn’t hurt. (But) my mentality is such that I try to play whatever game I get the opportunity to play. If I get the opportunity to play for Andhra, I try to play the game with all my heart. And if I get a game for India, I try to play that with all my heart. I’m that kind of a character. So I don’t really think about an IPL contract, why am I not getting picked. You can only do those things that are in your control. I don’t really know what is ‘IPL-qualified’ batting. But I will not change my game, because I bat for my team. And I only think about the team I’m playing for and bat accordingly,” he told Indian Express.

India play with five regular bowlers in home conditions and hence, Vihari has had to sit out for a majority of the home season, but the Andhra batsman is not complaining as he understands the dynamics of the playing XI.

“It wasn’t frustrating at all. You have to understand the situation again. When you play at home, you have to play five bowlers. So one batsman will miss out and that usually be the No. 6 batsman. I understand the team combination. As long as we win, we never have a problem,” he further added.

India will face a series of stern tests next year when they travel to New Zealand, England, South Africa and Australia and this is where the worth of Vihari will come through. He is ready for the challenges at hand and believes that he has learned to fight it out owing to the grind of domestic cricket.

“I had to score a lot of runs before I got into the Test squad. So that mental toughness was always there, because I had to grind through first-class cricket to come to the Test level. I had to grind a lot and once I have gotten into the Test squad, I know what exactly I’m capable of,” he adds.