A. In the last three years we had our share of luck and there had been some disappointments. But it has been a fantastic package. We stood together through tough times and it's nice to have a good blend of youngsters and experience. From Saurabh Tiwary, Pollard and Bravo to me, Sanath, it's been a nice blend of players from various parts of the world.
Q. Does playing for MI take you back to the roots where you started your career?
A. Playing for Mumbai Indians has always been special for me and playing for India has been extremely special. It was a dream to play for the country and I am living it and when Mumbai and India are combined together, the passion is doubled and above all I respect the game of cricket. It does not matter where I play.
Q. How much do you think the T20 format has evolved over the years?
A. Earlier we did not know what to expect from this tournament. We knew it would be fun playing in the T20 and club format, which never existed in India, but as time went on we realised that this is going to take cricket to a different level. The preparation that has gone into this tournament is immense.
Q. Any challenges batting in the fastest version of the game?
A.There are challenges as there is less time and you need to move on with the game. Even if the bowler is bowling well, you still have to take that risk and try to keep the scoreboard ticking, which is not so in the Test cricket or even in one day cricket. There you get time to settle down and can afford to hang in there for a while and let the spell get over.
Q. Is captaincy an extra challenge for you?
A.There is extra challenge only because here is lot of things happening around the game. Between the games there is loud music going on or when a batsman hits two-three consecutive boundaries, there is need to go and have a word with the bowler. At the time when everybody is celebrating, amidst loud music, communication is not that easy. We were fined because we were not able to complete the 20 overs in time and I feel there should be an allowance of five minutes just because the music gets too loud.
Q.What MI did right in IPL 3 to turn around the things?
A. The first two seasons that we played, we did not have full strength team. We got so close to qualifying to the top four but the last couple of games were disappointing. Then in the second season, Zaheer got injured and Saurabh too pulled up an injury. So we lost our key players. However, in the third season we had a full strength squad and it was the only difference.
Q.You are making your debut in the Airtel Champions League. Looking forward to it?
A. The tournament is going to be challenging and challenge is something we all look forward to as it helps us grow in life and makes us a better person. We will try hard and put up a good show
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