In recent times, you've not been at your best with the ball. How much does it worry you? The wickets are there but you've been way too expensive and the swing seems to be taking a rest.

To be honest, the last eight-odd one-dayers have been a tough time for me. Sometimes you do well, sometimes you miss out but isn't that how cricket is? There are a lot of expectations and sometimes you're able to fulfil it better than times when it doesn't work. Irfan Pathan is supposed to take early wickets, fine. But sometimes it doesn't happen that way. There are so many things that go hand in hand with bowling.

Okay, there's good form and bad form but one even has to consider that on that particular day, the batsman can be in smashing form, fielding might not be up to the mark, catches could be dropped, some decisions might go against you, the conditions might not be supporting. Unfortunately, plain statistics do not reflect all these things. I accept that I've been a little more expensive in recent times but again, I think a lot was made about that. I thought I did well against England and wicket-wise, the numbers still haven't dropped drastically.

You always tried to make sure that you're not tagged an all-rounder. There was a time when your batting and bowling, both, were at its peak and there was pressure growing on you to accept that you're the next Kapil Dev in the making. What was your take then and how do you see it now?

... contd.