New Delhi: Hanuma Vihari has been punching above his weight ever since he made his India debut and that’s why he is ready to deal with ‘low expectations’ in a bid to change the popular perception of not being good enough for the T20 format in the upcoming IPL.
Vihari is back in the IPL, which starts March 23, with the Delhi Capitals after going unsold at the auction for three years primarily due to an unimpressive strike rate of sub 100.
“I think because of the slow strike rate of the past, people won’t have expectations from me, which can be a great thing. I take it positively, because now I have a chance to prove them all wrong,” the batting all-rounder said Friday.
Vihari knows it will be a fight to get into the playing XI but he is ready to don the role of a finisher the same way he agreed to open for India in unfamiliar conditions in Melbourne.
“Honestly, given that I am playing the IPL after a three-year gap, I am ready to go out there and bat anywhere the management asks me to, whether it’s at the top of the order, or in the role of a finisher,” Vihari stated.
“On my part, I am really in a great mental space and a great position as far as my game is concerned. I am really well-prepared for everything right now. “I am much more confident of performing now,” the 25-year-old player
The soft-spoken Vihari said his India stint will make a difference as it has upped his confidence so necessary in a slam-bang tournament.
“It gives me a huge boost for sure. I think things have worked out quite timely for me. The IPL opportunity could not have come to me at a better time,” Vihari pointed out.
PTI