Vipraj Nigam: ‘If you’re not mentally strong, you can’t handle success or failure’

Vipraj Nigam has experienced enough over the last two years to understand how quickly cricket can change.

A breakout IPL season in 2025, when he picked up 11 wickets and emerged as one of the most promising young leg-spinners in the country, fast-tracked his rise. India A opportunities followed, and the Uttar Pradesh all-rounder has remained on the selectors’ radar despite a quieter IPL this year, in which he managed only a couple of wickets for Delhi Capitals.

Now in Sri Lanka with India A for the ongoing tri-series, Nigam finds himself in unfamiliar territory, both literally and figuratively. This is his first overseas tour, and the conditions in Sri Lanka have presented a very different challenge from what he has been accustomed to back home.

The Uttar Pradesh cricketer believes the transition from franchise cricket to international cricket is about much more than skill. Fitness, mental toughness and a willingness to learn from experienced teammates have all played a part in his development.

In a chat with Sportstar, Nigam spoke about adjusting to overseas conditions, the advice he has received from senior players such as K.L. Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav, and why he believes “real cricket” begins when there are no shortcuts.

After a strong IPL and consistent domestic performances, you’ve carried plenty of momentum into the India A setup, where expectations are naturally higher. How have you handled that transition, and how would you describe your journey so far?

So far, things have been going well. Actually, it started from last year’s IPL, not just this year’s. Since then, things have been moving in a positive direction. After that, I played various series for India A as well, and now we are playing here.

It’s been a great experience. The support staff has been excellent, and I’m getting a lot of support. We are playing in new conditions. This is my first overseas tour. Playing a tri-series here in the one-day format is a completely new experience for me, and I’m enjoying it. The wickets here are very different from what we experience in India. The conditions, too, are quite different. You may not see very high-scoring games here, but it is still a valuable experience. It’s helping me learn a lot.

You’re working with different coaches across levels. Is there any particular aspect of your game you’re trying to improve at the moment?

Absolutely. When you play in the IPL, it’s a T20 game and everything happens very quickly. You only have two or three hours, and your role is completely different.

In one-day cricket, things change. You have to bowl longer spells, field for 50 overs, and contribute throughout the game. The way you bowl in T20 cricket is different from how you bowl in ODIs.

Fitness becomes extremely important because you’re not involved in just a three-hour game. In the IPL, you might bowl four overs and then not be involved as much. But here, there is no Impact Player rule or anything like that. This is where real cricket begins.

The coaching staff changes from team to team, but the good thing is that I have known most of these coaches for a long time. They understand me and I understand them, so there are usually no major complications.

As a multi-format cricketer, do you set personal goals at the start of a season, or is your focus more on improving your game and contributing to the team?

A lot of things are important. We always talk about physical fitness, but mental fitness is equally important.

I play domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh in all three formats. Performing well in domestic cricket is important because that helps you progress to higher levels, whether it’s India or any other team you’re representing.

In my opinion, mental toughness is just as important as physical fitness. Cricket is full of ups and downs. If you’re not mentally strong, you won’t be able to handle either success or failure properly.

You’ve spent time in the IPL and with India A. Has any advice from a senior player or coach particularly stayed with you or changed the way you think about cricket?

Definitely, even in the IPL, our coaches and senior players have been very helpful. I speak quite a lot with K.L. Rahul bhaiya and Kuldeep (Yadav) bhaiya, especially Kuldeep bhaiya regarding bowling.

They are always willing to share their experiences. Before coming here, when we were together during the IPL, Kuldeep bhaiya told me about how wickets in Sri Lanka behave and how I could be more effective here. He advised me on specific areas to work on.

We practised those things at the Centre of Excellence as well. The coaches know me very well, and many of them have watched a lot of cricket in Sri Lanka. They understand the wickets and weather conditions here, so it’s important to have a clear idea about these things beforehand and prepare accordingly.

Sri Lankan conditions are quite different. How have you found them so far, and what adjustments have you made to be effective here?

These conditions are always tough because you’re not used to them. We don’t often play in such environments. The best part is that ‘Jo Sir’ (Sunil Joshi), our spin-bowling coach, was also my coach in Uttar Pradesh for two years, so we have a good understanding. We worked on similar things during domestic cricket as well.

That helps because after playing such a long season, sometimes you forget certain things or make small mistakes. He reminds me about the methods we used in previous seasons and encourages me to go back to those basics. Even regarding bowling, if he notices something, he regularly messages me and suggests different ideas and improvements. We are constantly discussing how to build innings, what tactics to use, and how to approach different situations. It’s been a very good experience and I’m really enjoying it.

Published on Jun 14, 2026