How have you planned your comeback?

• The important thing is to take your time to recover and not rush back. You have to be not just 100 per cent, but 120 or even 200 per cent fit when you return to action. I don’t want to have any doubts running in my mind when I am playing an international game because it’s a pressure game and you cannot let your team down.

Personally, I would like to play some domestic games or even club games to be sure about myself. That’s what the doctors also said, you need to build it up, because you lose a lot of strength in the area of injury and one has to get it back slowly and not injure other muscles.

The entire country has been raving about this new lot of fast bowlers who have done well in your absence. What do you see your role as once you come back?

• I have always said that performance is the key to selection. That’s what is in your control and one should not be thinking of anything beyond that. You can only focus on things you can control. There’s no such thing as ‘a player’ in the team, it’s always about the whole team.

Through the whole Australia series, there were doubts about certain fast bowlers and their capabilities. And see how well they have done and proved themselves. We now have a great fast bowling back-up and all this is good for Indian cricket.

... contd.