With bowlers scoring 100s, batsmen need to score 200s and 300s for recognition, says India A batsman Hanuma Vihari

Won the 2012 under-19 World Cup, made his IPL debut the next season, picked up the wicket of an in-form Chris Gayle off his first ball in IPL, dropped from the IPL side, snubbed by IPL franchises, rediscovered himself, scored runs like a run machine, currently averages over 61 after playing as many first-class games, Andhra batsman Hanuma Vihari is no stranger to disappointments, but more importantly, he is mentally strong and has the right mindset to make a comeback when the chips are down.

This is something he has been doing over the last few years as he has established himself as one of the technically correct and consistent batsmen in the country, which is very evident from his average of 61.02 in 59 first-class matches. His record in List A format is not bad either as he averages 45 in 52 matches. Unfortunately for him, he is nowhere close to the national set-up.

Preparing himself for the upcoming India A tour of England, Hanuma Vihari spoke to Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat and discussed various things. Here are the excerpts.

Q: You were ignored by IPL franchises yet again. How do you take the snub?

It is tough, you know. You tend to expect an IPL contract after having a good domestic season performing consistently throughout the year. That way, IPL is very unpredictable. These are the things that are beyond my control. I tend to not think much about it and focus on what's ahead of me.

Q: You were a part of the successful Abhahani Ltd side that recently won the Dhaka Premier League. Your experience of playing in Bangladesh...

It was very good. It was a List A game and there were a lot of international players participating in it. It was a very different experience. We won the championship and contributing to the team was really good. Playing in different conditions also helps a lot. It might be similar to what India is but they have a different culture and a different atmosphere.

Q: You also played for Hutton CC in Essex, England in the past. How did conditions in England help you improve your game?

After I got snubbed in the IPL auction in the past, I thought of going to England and playing some club cricket because there wasn't going to be any tournament happening in India at that time. So, I thought of going there and using that experience in the future. I have got a couple of years of English club cricket under my belt. You have to take all the responsibility there. There is no one on whom you can rely. Playing in English conditions is completely different from what we get in India. Playing there was a very good experience.

Q: You average 61 in 59 FC matches but are still nowhere close to the Test side. What has gone wrong?

Maybe with the current Indian team set-up, it is very difficult. The team is doing well and there is a lot of competition for places in the playing XI. So, I have to wait for my turn, which is fine. Until and unless you get that motivation when you are in the scheme of things, then you can keep batting, get as many runs as you can and push a little harder so that the performances get recognized sooner than later.

Q: Of late, you have converted all your centuries into daddy hundreds. What aspect of your game did you work on?

It is more about the mindset. If you have the hunger to score those big runs, it is not too difficult. After a certain stage, the bowlers and the fielders will give up and then you can score how much ever you want. And if you see, in first-class cricket, the hundreds have become a norm now. You can see a lot of people getting hundreds, even the bowlers are scoring hundreds. If you want to be recognized, you have to score a lot more than 100, maybe a 200 or a 300. I just focus on these things and yeah, the mindset is the most important thing.

Q: You are a part of India A squad for the tour of England. A good performance there might get you closer to a place in the Test side. Any expectations ahead of the tour?

I don't keep any expectations for myself. I tend to focus on what my process is and my preparation. If I keep any expectations for and things don't go well, my confidence will go down. I don't want to do that. I just want to have a clear mindset, a good game plan, give my best and see what happens. Obviously, I have some goals and aims for myself ahead of the England tour but I won't have any expectations in terms of how many runs to score, how many centuries etc.

Q: How are you preparing yourself for the England tour?

More than the skills, I am working on physical fitness and mindset. To be honest, I am already there when it comes to the skillset. When your average is one of the best in the country, then it is very evident that the skill set is there. It's all about your fitness levels and the mental strength where you have to be one step ahead in playing against top-quality bowlers. Watching the England vs Pakistan game on TV, I was visualizing how I could counter those situations against some of the good bowlers. I am focussing on getting myself mentally prepared rather than working more on my skill sets.

Q: Are you working on your bowling to push for a place in the national side?

I know I can be a handy limited-overs bowler and can bowl consistently in the right areas. I bowl regularly in the nets to polish my bowling skills and this season, I bowled a lot for Andhra in the limited-overs tournaments. I am ready to bowl whenever my team needs me and I am really confident about it.