Thinking of every Test match as my last has helped me perform better, says Hanuma Vihari

As if his heroics with the bat that laid the foundation of a 2-0 series sweep in the Caribbean hadn’t received enough attention, skipper Virat Kohli paid Vihari an even bigger compliment when he said that the dressing room feels calm when he is batting.

“Obviously I am very happy that I have done well but I went into this tour with a clean slate. I decided to take one Test match at a time. For me, every Test match is my last. It helps me get into a mindset that I have nothing to lose and play accordingly,” Vihari told PTI.

Although he was part of India’s U19 World Cup-winning campaign in 2012, Vihari did not get to play a game and nor was he outrightly successful with his stints in the IPL. So, when the middle-order batsman made a fifty on Test debut in England and later impressed everyone with his temperament and technique Down Under, it was all the work in the domestic circuit that had come to fruition. 

“It’s a different equation for players coming from smaller states in terms of cricket. Hyderabad and Andhra are such states. You have to perform double of others coming from stronger states to be recognised. But over a period of time, you get habituated [to this]. Each season and match becomes important. That helps you become mentally stronger,” he told The Times of India in an interview.

“I made my first-class debut at 17. I had already got a taste of senior cricket. After the U-19 World Cup, I knew that first-class cricket is my only chance to make it big. Ranji Trophy became the most important thing for me. I realised I needed to score around 1000 runs year after year. I told myself, ‘Never drop your guard.’ I had to work very hard on my fitness. Eventually, when I became prolific, I got to play Test cricket,” Vihari added. 

Vihari now has an average of 45.60 after six Test matches and looks to have settled into the No.6 position, much like his idol VVS Laxman. However, life hasn’t been a bed of roses for the 25-year-old, who lost his father at the age of 12.

“I was only 12 years old and my elder sister was 14 when we lost our father. My mother Vijayalakshmi is a homemaker. Those were hard days. My mother ran the household on my father’s pension. Yet, she allowed me to pursue my dreams and not once did me or my sister feel that we lacked comfort. I still can’t figure out how she even managed. I have built a house in Hyderabad now. I want my mother to relax,” Vihari added.