``I never expected this. I have always taken my batting seriously and it was just a case of applying myself...things just happened for me,'' he was to say later in the day. ``I had gone out to accumulate runs. Overall, it was an important knock for the team. My team needed this knock more than me.''

Mhambrey had underlined his batting abilities a fortnight ago while posting 96 in a Times Shield match against an attack comprising Ajit Agarkar, Subroto Banerjee, Sriram Kannan and Sandeep Dahad. Complimenting debutant Kannan for his resilience, Mhambrey said: ``It was an excellent display. He gave me the confidence to go for the runs.''