Cricket | Nokia CLT20 | 'Gambhir on par with MSD as leader'

'Gambhir on par with MSD as leader'

Kokata Knight Riders pacer Laxmipathy Balaji is leaving no stone unturned to perform well in upcoming Nokia Champions League Twenty20.

By Abhideep Das

Laxmipathy Balaji is a name that Indian cricket fans can never forget. The ever-smiling Tamil Nadu pacer shot into limelight during India's twin tours of Australia and Pakistan in 2003-04 by playing a crucial role in the team's success with his swing bowling.

However, a career-threatening back injury derailed him from 2005 to 2007, until he resurfaced in the inaugural season of IPL in 2008. There he took a hat-trick for his franchise, Chennai Super Kings in their clash against Kings XI Punjab at Chennai. After spending three years with CSK, the 29-year-old was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders during the fresh auctions earlier this year and performed admirably for his new franchise in IPL 2011.

As KKR got ready to play their first match in NCL T20 qualifiers, ESPNSTAR.com caught up with the pacer for a chat on his own as well as his team's preparations for this big tournament.

(Gambhir, of course, is not playing in the qualifiers but as is apparent, the KKR players attribute their best season in the IPL to the Indian southpaw’s brilliant captaincy)

Excerpts:

Abhideep Das: How easy was the transition from playing for CSK to KKR?

Laxmipathy Balaji: When you are a professional cricketer, these kinds of things are quite normal. At the end of the day, you are always expected to give your 100 percent for whichever team you play. We all were expecting some major reshuffle during the IPL auctions earlier this year. All the cricketers were prepared to play for new teams. It is not that one fine day; we were put into some other unit or squad. In today's competitive environment, one is always expected to adjust to different situations. Same applies to cricketers as well.

AD: For the first time in history of IPL, KKR moved beyond the league stages. What or whom will you attribute this turnaround to?

LB: I think our new skipper Gautam Gambhir played a pivotal role in the turnaround of the fortunes of the team. He always used to set an example for the rest of the team-members. The way he backed his players to the hilt and stood behind the team was absolutely brilliant. He handled the pressure very well and inspired us all to perform at our best. His attacking field-placements helped us apply more pressure on the opponents. He always led from the front and I have no doubt whatsoever that leadership skill wise, Gautam is on-par with MS Dhoni at the moment.

AD: Playing at a full-house Eden Gardens is considered to be the ultimate feeling for a cricketer. Describe your experience and how was it to have 60,000-plus people always rooting for you?

LB: The best part of playing for KKR this season was the kind of support we got from the Kolkata crowd. Prior to the beginning of IPL, there was a lot of talk on whether people will be able to associate themselves with the franchises that they were supporting in the previous years due to the reshuffle. But there was no such problem for us since Kolkata people adapted us as their own and gave us a lot of love and support. Not for a minute did I fell out of my comfort zone and playing away from my original home in Chennai. The kind of energy they passed on the team was amazing. Entire Kolkata was praying for our goodwill and wanted us to do well. This was primarily the reason, why we went as far as we did in IPL this year. Unfortunately, we could not reach the final but will surely be gunning for greater glory in upcoming NCL T20 Champions League and in the next season of IPL.

AD: You have one of the legends of the game, Wasim Akram, as your bowling coach. What sort of advise and knowledge did he share with all of you?

LB: All of us at KKR consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have someone like ‘Wasim bhai’ around us. The most endearing quality about him is that he always makes everyone feel like he is just another guy. He makes you feel very comfortable and that is absolutely crucial. He is always approachable. Although I had met him a couple of times in the past, initially I was a bit hesitant to go up to him and seek advise. But all that changed once I started working with him. The way he understands each and every cricketer is wonderful. At the highest-level, everyone comes with some skills. But how you get the best out of that cricketer by fine-tuning those abilities and giving him the comfort zone to perform well is critical. End of the day, it is all about man-management. That is where ‘Wasim bhai’ along with our chief coach Dav Whatmore did an amazing job.

AD: You finished with 10 wickets in IPL-4 and bowled some crucial spells throughout the tournament. Will you rate this as your best showing in the last few years?

LB: I definitely can get better, but what was satisfying about my performance this season was that I bowled with a lot of intensity. I benefitted a lot by having experienced professionals like Jacques Kallis and Brett Lee around. They were also very approachable and passed some useful tips to me. However what really helped me was that my captain, team-management and the owners backed me even when I did not perform as per expectations. For example, after conceding 21 runs in that final over against Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens, I know some other teams would have surely dropped me for the next game. But everyone retained the faith and confidence in me. Look in a T20 game, anything can happen! A bowler will not become a bad one overnight. Hopefully, I will do better next time.

AD: What sort of role does your team-owner, Shahrukh Khan, play in day-to-day activities of KKR?

LB: Whether it is Shahrukh, Juhi Chawla or Jay Mehta, everyone was very supportive and backed us to the hilt even during our down times. As a player, it is an altogether reassuring feeling to know that the team-owners are doing everything possible to make you feel at home and help you perform at your best. For me personally, it was a dream come true to be associated with someone like Shahrukh. I have been watching his movies from my childhood. So when he came up to me and said, "I really enjoyed your performances for India," that statement stayed in my heart.

AD: Looking ahead to the NCL T20, is there any one area of your game that you will look at improving?

LB: For all of us in the team, the NCL T20 qualifiers were like a god-send opportunity since we were extremely disappointed at having missed out on a direct berth in this prestigious tournament. As far as my preparations are concerned, am looking at fine-tuning a couple of areas. Although I bowled with good pace and intensity throughout IPL-4, my performance in the slog overs was not at all satisfactory. I tended to concede a lot of runs in those death overs, so yes that's one area of the game that am looking at improving. Overall, as a unit also we need to perform better in the slog overs.