Lots of people helped me — Ashish Nehra, WV Raman, my family and friends — but it was really frustrating at times. People thought I wouldn’t be able to come back to cricket, and during the operation even I wondered if I’d ever play cricket again. Raman helped me a lot. I needed someone who could guide me because I used to get frustrated, but he told me to be patient.

How did you spend time during injury?

n I read books about people who came back strong after suffering from injury, like Lance Armstrong and others. Sometimes I watched videos of my golden moments in cricket, so that I could get some confidence.

Do you think IPL was a good platform for you to make a comeback?

n It was, though I was worried about my ability and my performance. I was very keen to play, play against the best sides so I could judge myself. In the IPL, I bowled to quality players and it boosted my confidence. When I started bowling, I just wanted to get some practice which the IPL gave me.

Was it difficult to begin with an entirely new action?

n It was a re-constructed action because my body has been re-constructed. After my operation I knew I wouldn’t be able to bowl like I did earlier. It had to be done.