Navi Mumbai: The man of the moment at the DY Patil Stadium after the Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians game was undoubtedly Harbhajan Singh. In a highly-charged encounter, Harbhajan’s 49 off 18 balls first ended Mumbai’s innings in style before he ensured Deccan failed to mount a challenge in response with figures of 3-31.
Excerpts:
On whether opening the bowling was a last minute decision
No, that was our plan. We had decided that early on, that I might have to bowl the first over, and I bowled. This is not the first time I bowled the first over and am sure not the last time, though it’s a tough thing for a spinner to bowl in the Powerplay - especially in a T20 game - but when’s it’s your day you can have as much fun as you want. Luckily we got (Adam) Gilchrist’s wicket which was very important in this game. Sachin (Tendulkar) took a blinder of a catch, it was amazing the way he took that catch. We enjoyed the whole game, it was good fun.
On his thoughts on the win
Touch wood, I am still touching wood. The last minutes of [our innings] was when the match really turned - luckily all the shots I was trying I was middling them and as I said even in the award presentation, that [was] thanks to Sachin for giving me his bat, I have been playing with his bat. From the day I have taken his bat even I have started batting a little bit better. I am really happy the way things have gone for our side and we have worked really hard and, as I said, we have that belief that anyone can win a game in our team for us. And our win today showed that, it’s a great thing.
On what he told Jaskaran Singh when he hurled the beamer at him
Nothing much, all I told him was don’t break my head - I have to go to West Indies for the World Cup. Obviously, it was difficult anyway to see the ball and to a tail-ender if you’re bowling on the head, then it’s bad.
On whether the youngsters in the team realise what they can learn from Sachin Tendulkar
It was very important for someone to play around Sachin at that point of time and luckily my shots got the result. And at that point of time someone like a Tiwary or a Rayudu (who have been in good form, fell in quick succession), we lost three wickets very quickly, if we had played three or four overs. Because we think in T20 things are going very fast but if you actually take your time there is still a lot of time left in the game and if you think smart there are a lot of things to do and a lot of gaps where you can hit and you can run. Once you are settled you can score runs in boundaries so probably that was the area where we were a little down today but don’t forget in the first game against Rajasthan Royals [Ambati] Rayudu and [Saurabh] Tiwary batted superbly and even against Delhi they batted brilliantly and they got us to 200 runs in those two games, so we are not asking anyone to change their game. That is the way they have been playing, Sachin has always been there to guide them and I am sure they will deliver in the future matches.
On whether he was surprised with his innings
Not really surprised, because I know that I can really hit the ball. [It was] probably one of those days when everything was getting connected and I have played a few knocks for India as well where I actually middle the ball really well. I remember one game in Baroda against the Australians where I scored a 49. There again I scored a 49, maybe I need to do some Pooja now for me to make my first fifty. I know I can hit the ball and today was my day and it’s good that the shots are working later on if my batting comes again or if my team needs me, the team would have the confidence and all those who support the Mumbai Indians will have the confidence that the batting is down till Bhajji.
On Mumbai Indians being the favourites based on current form
I don’t want to say whether we are favourites or anyone else is a favourite but the Twenty20 game can be very funny. You have been winning and suddenly you have one bad game and suddenly you are back to square one. So we just want to keep on playing good cricket. Whatever we are doing we just want to stick to that and I am sure if we stick to our basics and stick to our game I am sure we will do well and so far touch wood we have been playing well and I just want to keep on playing well. And, as I said, we want to be the first team to be in the semi-final and that’s what our first goal is.
On whether scoring a fifty off the last ball of the innings would have been even more memorable
No, I won the game, it is a memorable game for me. 50 or 100 does not matter much to me. I am not one of those who feels that if they had scored a fifty it would have been nice. Whatever it is, I am happy. We have won the game that is more than anything.
On whether his reaction after getting Tirumalasetti Suman out was over the top
That’s the way I play my cricket. I have been very passionate about the game and some people do drama and give fake reactions when they get people out. It’s just that whatever I feel, whatever emotions that I have they just come out. I felt that it was an important part of the game and Suman can hit the ball really well and I remember the last time when we were playing at Johannesburg, Pretoria where he hit me for two sixes in one over and I knew that he can change the game and he is a quality player so I got that wicket at that point of time and it was very important for my team to pick a wicket so whatever I did, I don’t even know. That’s pretty normal for me, you get excited when you take wickets.
On whether playing against Andrew Symonds spurs him on
Probably that’s the way God wants me to go. But, honestly, I do not look at the face and play my cricket. I just have to watch the ball and hit the ball and when the ball is in my hand I just have to beat that bat. I do not play with the faces. I know they both [Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist] are great players and they have done wonders for Australian cricket and they have been playing great cricket and it’s just always special when you do well against good players. I am really happy.
On how strong would the Indian team be if Sachin was to play the World Twenty20
I feel the team would have become much stronger. In fact a day before the selection I myself had requested Sachin to consider his decision but he has decided that International Twenty 20 is not his game, he does not want to play any more international games. But I am sure if a player of Sachin’s class played for India in the T20 format the team’s confidence would reach a new level.
On Kieron Pollard’s role in the team
If he is batting down the order and gets about four overs we expect him to get us about 30-35 runs and the person batting with him would score around 15 so we are talking about 50-odd runs in the four overs that he bats. And if he gets to play more than 10-12 overs then you never know how many he can hit because he is a strong guy and he can definitely hit the ball hard and long, even in the nets. [He is] one of the best hitters I have seen in international cricket. We are expecting him to do really well for us and his role will keep on changing on any given day. So far he has not clicked as much but I think the day it’s his day no one [else] would need to bat that day.
On whether Gilchrist’s innings came to his mind where he scored a 47-ball century against MI
So what? That day in 2001 [when] even I got a hat-trick (in a Test match against Australia) and I don’t think you can play thinking about what happened in the past. In fact that day too I had got Gilchrist, in the hat-trick. We all know that Gilchrist is a very dangerous player if he gets going then he can finish the game in 15-17 overs. But we were not really thinking about that he had scored a hundred in the last match here against us and that Deccan Chargers had won that game. Today’s match was a fresh match and everything was fresh, so I’m glad we won the game and we played better cricket today.
On why Herschelle Gibbs was waiting after given out
He was waiting because he thought it was a waist-high ball. He was taking that chance.
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