I need to work on all formats of the game: Sharma

For the Indian leg-spinner Rahul Sharma the end of IPL 5 spelt double doom: not only he went through a lean patch in the IPL in terms of stats, Rahul, when he was in Mumbai, was then 'caught' in a raid on a rave party. He has been cleared of the charges since and selection in the Lanka-bound Indian ODI team will give him an opportunity to further his case in the Indian cricket. In a chat with Sportline, Rahul talks about the trauma he underwent during the 'rave party' controversy, why the Indian A team struggled in the West Indies, what changes has the international exposure brought in him as a bowler.

Excerpts

After the IPL 5 you got stuck into the 'rave party' controversy. How did it affect you and you family with all the media attention and the hype surrounding the incident?

Thank God that ugly incident is over now. Both me and my family were in a state of shock after the incident. We have never faced such an incident in our lives. It was difficult to handle and answer all the media queries during that phase. The TV channels were showing the coverage continuously, so it was natural that the known faces were under the media glare. But I am happy that it is over and I can now concentrate on my cricket.

Just after the controversy, you toured West Indies. Do you think the controversy affected your mindset?

I would say that it did affect my mindset during the West Indies sojourn. I was conscious of the fact that the incident not only affected me but my family members also. Although, I worked hard on my mental toughness to forget the incident and move on, but yes initially during the tour, things were there on the back of my mind.

... contd.

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