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Speed thrills

Plagued by injuries throughout his tumultuous six-year international career, Kerala pace ace S Sreesanth is coming through another frustrating period. Not only did he miss the tour of West Indies, where he was expected to spearhead the attack in Zaheer Khan’s absence, he’s also seen his replacement, Praveen Kumar, step up to the plate and stake a claim for a regular spot. Ishant Sharma is also bowling with renewed vigour.

Sreesanth last played a Test match for India against South Africa at Cape Town early in January of 2011. © AFP

Eager to get back in the groove for the England tour, Sreesanth is banking on the thing that works for him – raw pace — injuries be damned.

Making a comeback after his latest injury (tennis elbow), the 28-year-old is in no mood to sacrifice pace even with the physical demands of the modern game in mind.

“I don’t want to be a bowler who gets injured and then comes back and bowls at 120kmph. I want to bowl fast. Even in 2007, I had a back injury and people asked, ‘why don’t you start playing because you can bowl?’ But, I don’t want to just bowl. I want to bowl fast,” Sreesanth tells HT in an interview. Excerpts:

What’s the status on your injury?

I had a tennis elbow, and a bruise on my bone. For the last year and a half I’ve been on and off feeling pain while bowling. I am training hard and following a proper routine. I am fine now.

What will be the challenge in England?

England are a very good side, they have done well everywhere. The conditions will be helpful, but not getting carried away by the bounce and the swing, like I did on my last tour in 2007, will be the key. It took me two Tests to understand how to bowl in England, and the experience of playing a season for Warwickshire will be to my advantage.

One thing about England is that the conditions are helpful but if you don’t hit the right areas you won’t get wickets. If you can swing the ball with pace, nothing like it. I learnt that from Allan Donald and Ashley Giles, who were my coaches at Warwickshire.

Many feel the contest will decide the top Test team in the world?

We don’t need to discuss that. We’re the top-ranked team, and we have proved it for the last year and a half.

Experts feel you are more suited for Test cricket? Is it because it gives you a chance to bounce back, unlike a limited overs game?

It is an honour when a great player says that I am a good Test bowler. But honestly, as a cricketer, I want to play all forms of the game. I want to give my best shot. Some days I don’t do well, which is a part of the game. All I can control is to give my best when I get an opportunity. There’s nothing like a one-day or a Test bowler, I just want to play for India and do well in all forms of the game. I have four-five years of very good cricket left in me, I am 28, and 28 to 32 are the best years for a fast bowler. You are more experienced and more fit.

You are known to enjoy the party circuit. How are you preparing for the England series? Have you cut down on partying?

I had my share of celebrations for a couple of weeks (after the World Cup win), but that is history now. I am training hard. I don’t want to be a bowler who gets injured and then comes back and bowls at 120kmph. I want to bowl fast. Even in 2007, I had a back injury and people asked, ‘why don’t you start playing because you can bowl?’

But, I don’t want to just bowl. I want to bowl fast. A lot of people question, why he is not playing? But I had this pain and whenever I bowled fast, it was getting worse. I don’t want to cheat myself. I want to bowl fast and get back in to the team. 

Do you think partying affects your performance?

It’s a personal choice. If you know what you are doing and when to do it, then it’s fine. Sab ke liye ek time hota hai. It’s about setting your priorities right, knowing your values… I celebrate when it is the right time. I am not into partying much now. I am not a 19-year-old anymore. I love going out; I used to love partying, even now I go to these get-togethers.

It is more about relaxing your mind and body and taking the mind off cricket. I love to go and watch movies, or may be a small get-together at home with light music and some fun. Partying now is only restricted to when it is the birthday of a very close buddy or a special occasion. I don’t think it will affect your game as long as you don’t overdo it. Anything over is bad… There is a thin line between foolishness and bravery and if you know that line, you will be fine.

You are a two-time world champion, how do you compare the 2007 World T20 triumph with the 2011 ODI World Cup experience?

2011 was a completely different experience from 2007, when I took the last catch in the final. In the 2011 tournament, I hardly did anything. Fortunately, I got to play the most important game — the final.

It is great to be part of World Cup history but that doesn’t stop me. I want to set standards now; I want to take responsibility.

I want to be like Zaheer bhai; follow his footsteps, listen and learn from him, and one day become the main strike bowler of India and win matches. There are 14 Tests coming up, I missed the three against the West Indies but will still get 11. I want to go to the next level. I have been in and out of the team for six years, and it is high time I consolidated my position and became a match winner.

How did you take it when you were dropped from the IPL team?

I took it in the right spirit. I knew the West Indies and England tours were coming and I motivated and trained myself to be fit for the series. Nobody wants to miss a game, but honestly, it gave me time to set goals about what I want to achieve and where I want to be in one year’s time. Someone like Muraltharan, who has 800 Test wickets, was also dropped for some matches, that’s how the format is.

Strauss inspired by Sachin's longevity

Taunton: It is not just about Sachin Tendulkar's technical proficiency but also his mental strength that helps him in rewriting records even at the age of 38, feels England skipper Andrew Strauss.

"It's the overall package he brings. He is technically fantastic but it's also his mental strength; the way he withstands pressure, how humble and dignified he is," Strauss said today on the eve of India's warm-up game against Somerset here.

"It is not just his runs but his desire and motivation to keep chasing down the records. He is an example that if you are still hungry, your power shouldn't decline as you get older," said Strauss.

"Among the examples out there, he is the best of them."

Tendulkar will be chasing a record 100th international centuries when India and England kick off the first of the four-match Test series, at Lord's on July 21.

Strauss acknowledged the Indian team's consistency but backed his team to beat the world number one in front of the home crowd.

"They are playing hell lot of good cricket. They are tough nuts to crack, generally such men bring the best out of our players.

"In the last two years, we have found ourselves in good position and go on and win the Test. The level of test is going to rise over the next five weeks. It excites us for once you overcome the best, you become the best.

"It's a strong unit, ably led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but we back ourselves to beat anyone in home conditions and India is no exception to it," Strauss said.

Should England win the series 2-0 or 3-1, they would replace the visitors from the top of Test rankings.

"It's important we look to win the series -- it's always dangerous to look too far ahead. You do so by playing good cricket consistently. It might take six months or 12 years to reach the goal," he said.

According to Strauss, the important thing is how his team is known in the world.

"More than ratings, how you are acknowledged around the world, that's a far longer goal. You could become number one, but how you sustain it is important."

While sub-continental teams have struggled against short-pitched stuffs in the past, Strauss does not want to make the mistake of assuming that the Indians would be susceptible to the rising deliveries.

"All sub-continent teams have got better at it. They have been touring here quite often. I don't foresee any dramatic weakness there.

"We know Chris Tremlett did very well last time. He was younger and less developed. As we saw against both Australia and Sri Lanka, (the short-pitched bowling) if done consistently and accurately, will trouble most," he said.

Strauss also clarified that he looked to play against the Indians not because he wanted to sort out his problems against Zaheer Khan.

"It would have been the first Test match for me to play without having played any match for three weeks. The other option was to play two games for Middlesex. I am happy that I'm getting an opportunity to score some runs against their bowlers."

Zaheer, incidentally, has dismissed Strauss on five occasions.

Strauss searches for form in opener

England and India begin their Test series next week at Lord's, but there will be an early taste of what's on offer when the tourists play their three-day match against Somerset. And that's not just because it will be a chance to see MS Dhoni's team, but because it is set to be round one of Andrew Strauss versus Zaheer Khan.

It's not a contest that will decide the series - England are good enough to win without Strauss's runs and India have other bowlers besides Zaheer - but it's an intriguing head-to-head. Strauss has issues with left-arm quicks and Zaheer is the best in the business. For both players Taunton is important; Strauss ideally needs a decent score before the Test series and Zaheer needs miles in his legs having not played since the IPL.

The two sides are, of course, seeing the opportunity very differently. Strauss is playing down the significance of the outing, suggesting he would need it even if he had scored plenty of runs against Sri Lanka rather than the 27 he managed in four innings, but there was a hint from Duncan Fletcher that India see it as a chance to make an early mark.

"If he gets out early there's a chance we'll have something over him, but I believe our bowlers are pretty confident at the moment even if he does get runs," Fletcher said. "You are allowed to get runs at some stage. From our point of view we have to be careful that there are other batsmen in that side we need to look at. The problem really lies with Straussy, if he feels he has a problem it's more a concern for him than us."

MS Dhoni, meanwhile, had a wry grin when asked about his leading bowler against the England captain. "One thing for sure I won't be thinking much about Zaheer versus Strauss," he said. "Strauss will be batting and Zaheer bowling. It's good practice for both of them and we'll try to get the most we can out of this game because Zaheer hasn't been bowling for a while. Records don't play a big role."

Strauss, who spent part of the afternoon facing a bowling machine on the outfield, insists that what happens over the next three days won't have a major bearing on the series. Since the end of the Sri Lanka Tests he has played one innings for Middlesex where he made 2 against Gloucestershire and has since been restricted to net sessions.

"It's not a gamble," he said. "I've played no cricket for three weeks so it was crucial for me to be able to play some cricket this week. I don't think I've ever taken part in a Test match having not played cricket for three weeks beforehand.

"Thankfully this opportunity came up otherwise I would be probably be playing a second team game for Middlesex somewhere. What I do this week is not going to have a dramatic effect on the Test series but it will be nice to get some runs to feel confident, see a lot of their bowling and move to Lord's in a good frame of mind."

Strauss's form - and his performance against Zaheer - is just one of many potential themes that will emerge over the next five weeks, which is what makes for such an enticing prospect. It was confirmed on Thursday that if England win the series by two clear Tests they will overtake India and secure the No. 1 spot for the first time.

It has been the stated ambition of the Strauss-Flower regime to propel England to the top but now that it's within touching distance the captain doesn't want minds to wander away from the smaller goal of each Test match.

"It's possible to jump up rankings and fall back over a couple of games," Strauss said. "I think what we're looking at is to become No.1, but a little more sustained than that. It would be great if we can achieve this goal this summer. But I wouldn't say the hard work would be done then. It's one thing being No.1 in the world but quite another to be acknowledged all round as No.1 in the world."