Cricinfo - India's likely lads

The careers of Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh have run almost parallel since they were together in the team that won the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. For a long time they seemed to be vying for the same spot, but since Sourav Ganguly decided to pack the side with batsmen they co-exist happily. When the first ball of the one-day series is bowled, they will need to hit the ground running after a spell on the bench. They spoke to us on the eve of the match in Dhaka:

How hard is it to keep yourself motivated when you are not in the side?
One should understand the kind of players we have at the present time, especially in the Test team. Obviously I got a chance to play, after three years, against Australia, and did quite OK. I was quite satisfied with the way that I played and the way things went against them. But I understand I have to wait for the right time.

How hard is it to just come into the side and perform?
As a professional cricketer you have to perform, deliver your best, because that's what people expect back home. Playing for your country, that is your job. The adjustment is probably more mental than anything. But when you are out, you've got to enjoy whatever you do - that can be training in the gym for 50-60 days, or batting in the nets, early nights and early mornings. I understand that's part of the job. It can be tough, but you have to keep yourself going.

How important has the team's support been?
I've been quite lucky. John [Wright] really helped me out, and obviously I must mention [Sourav] Ganguly. The whole team was very supportive. That's what you need if you want to be a successful team. We have had our ups and downs in the last couple of years, but we've been together through it. It's important that we always stick together. So we play better and improve all the time.

But sometimes it's hard to gauge how well or otherwise you're doing at No. 7
It is quite sad, the kind of support you get back home, from the fans and from the media and on TV. In that position [No. 7], you come in with very few overs left and sometimes you don't score much. Then suddenly one day you come in with five wickets down, and 35 overs to bat. You might get a good ball and get out. Then in eight innings you have hardly scored. The fans and media may think something, but what matters is when I come back to the dressing-room after scoring 15, and the team and coach appreciate this and say I've done a good job for the team. That's what kept me going when I had a bad time. The team have all been there for a long time and understand that batting at 6 or 7 is not an easy job. When people back home only look at how many innings you have played, and judge players thinking only of records, I don't think that's right. Sometimes you come through a patch when you go in with just four overs to go and have to go bang-bang. Then if you get out after hitting a few boundaries, people count it as a bad performance because you haven't scored a fifty in the last eight or ten games. But it doesn't really matter to me - what matters is my team-mates.

What do you need to do to change gears quickly?
It's not just technique, you have to be mentally aggressive. You have to be able to shift your game and your approach quickly. You have to know your own game very well. I try to keep it simple - the bad balls you try to score runs, the good ones you block or try to take singles.

What was it like missing out on the Tests?
Obviously it was disappointing, because every cricketer wants to play Test cricket. But that's a part of life. Ups and downs will be there. I just have to carry on. Whether it's a one-day international, a Test match or a Ranji match, I just have to perform.

But you were not resting, you were playing first-class cricket ...
I was playing first-class, and got a few starts, but somehow was not getting a hundred. I was getting fifties and sixties, so now, when I'm playing one-day cricket, I need to play a big innings soon.

What adjustments do you have to make?
The way I look at it, one-day cricket and Test cricket are not too different - in the sense that I don't have to make too many changes to the way I approach batting. I'm the sort of person who likes to play shots. I remember doing well in the last one-dayer I played, against Pakistan, and I just want to carry on and do well here.

Are these three one-dayers against Bangladesh a good chance to get a big one, considering they're not the strongest opposition around?
I know it's not the toughest opponent, but you and I know that anything can happen in one-day cricket. It's only a matter of 50 overs, and someone can easily come up with a performance. If Bangladesh do well they can put us under pressure. If I get a chance up the order I will certainly look to bat throughout the innings.

How has your game changed from the time you started?
When I started I was just playing too many shots, and after the first few one-day internationals I played, I realised I had to change my game. Now what I do is take more time when I first come in, and try to play till the 50th over.

It's tricky batting down the order, isn't it?
At the moment my team requires me to bat at No. 5 or No. 6, so I give that my best shot. But obviously every batsman would like to bat up the order. Given a chance I would love to.

Anand Vasu is assistant editor of Cricinfo and will be following the Indian team throughout their tour of Bangladesh.

India's likely lads

The careers of Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh have run almost parallel since the time they were together in the team that won the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka