Delhi Capitals’ Vipraj Nigam credits coaches for shaping him into dynamic all-rounder

"I have played in the UPT20 League, and the best part for me was the support from my coach. He helped me realize that as a bowler, if you can’t hit sixes or finish games, your overall growth is limited. Working with him truly helped me improve as a player,” Vipraj shared on the JioStar special show.

Hyderabad: Delhi Capitals’ all-rounder Vipraj Nigam owes his success story to the coaches from the start of his career to those in the National BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

“I have played the UPT20 League. The best part for me was the support I got from my coach. He helped me understand that if you’re a bowler—and if you’re unable to hit sixes or finish games—you limit your overall growth. Spending time with him really helped me develop as a player,” Vipraj said on the JioStar special show.

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“When I went to the NCA after playing for my state, the coaches there really helped me grow. I went as a batsman, but I practiced both batting and bowling. As a leg-spinner, they told me to start taking my bowling seriously,” he said.

“Earlier, I used to bowl just 2-3 overs as a part-timer, but after going to the NCA, that mindset changed completely,” he added.

Vipraj Nigam said when he was picked by Delhi Capitals, even before that, he had discussions with his coaches and the management.

“They always told me they see me as an all-rounder. They had seen my batting in league and domestic cricket, so the message was clear — while I would be expected to bowl 2-4 overs, I also had to focus equally on my batting,” he said. “From our practice matches itself, that role was well defined. The coaches consistently told me to work on both aspects of my game,” the hard-hitting all-rounder said.

Vipraj Nigam said there had been a lot of changes in life after playing in the IPL. “With the IPL, things always change — you get the chance to share the field with such big, senior players, to learn from how they go about things, and to experience their approach up close. These are all new experiences for me, and I’ll try to apply the same learnings in my own game,” he explained.