Daredevils is a force to reckon with: Gambhir

With the Indian Premier League’s second season in full swing, ‘Daredevil’ Gautam Gambhir believes that the Delhi team, with its devastating top order and potent bowling attack, is a force to reckon with.

Chatting with Zeecric.com’s Vaibhav Arora and Biswajit Jha before the start of IPL 2, the destructive opener talks about his experience during the New Zealand tour, preparation for the IPL and much more.

Excerpts:

How was the experience of playing in New Zealand?

New Zealand was a good learning curve. Winning there after such a long time has been a fantastic experience and has given a lot of confidence to the entire team.

You played a big role in saving the second Test, which looked well out of India’s reach at the end of day four. Did you have a set gameplan for the final day?

Everybody was really focused and determined to put up a fight before the final day. The game plan was just to bat sensibly and take the day session by session.

How is the experience of batting with Sehwag?

Batting with an explosive batsman like Sehwag at the other end helps a lot. One thing you can be sure of with him at the other end is that the bowlers will not be targeting you and that is what makes your job that much easier.

Which team do you think will pose the biggest challenge in front of the Daredevils in IPL - 2?

We are not treating any team as a threat and will look to beat every team we play against.

Do you think the IPL adds to an already hectic schedule for the Indian team?

The timing of the IPL, just before the T20 World Cup will get the players in shape for the slam bang format. In that sense, the tournament is timed perfectly.

Will the shifting of IPL to South Africa affect the team’s performance or morale in any way?

We will surely miss playing in front of our home crowd but I hope that the crowd in South Africa will be as supportive and as lively as back home.

Are you satisfied with your current form? How do you intend to plan for the future?

It is always good to perform and score some runs for the team but you have to keep trying harder and aim for bigger goals.

Sehwag has compared you with Sunil Gavaskar…

It is always great to receive compliments…especially from a great player and good friend like Virender Sehwag. I hope that I can continue to live up to the expectations and keep on performing consistently.

You are one of the few players who have performed consistently in all three formats of the game. How do you manage to do that?

I just try and play my natural game irrespective of the format. I believe it’s all in the mind…otherwise the basics are the same for all the formats.

You received a lot of praise for handling Ajantha Mendis well. Some even went on to say that Gambhir is the best player against spin bowling. Which form of bowling do you prefer to face?

I treat every ball according to its merit and just believe in playing my natural game. I do not play according to the reputation of the bowler.