Sanath Jayasuriya likes to keep himself busy at all times,and that reflects in his batting as well. The explosive Sri Lankan opener scored the first runs and the first boundary of the second IPL to get the Mumbai Indians off the blocks in the opener against the Chennai Super Kings on Saturday. In an interview with The Sunday Express,Jayasuriya talked about playing cricket at 39,and about his special bond with Sachin Tendulkar. Excerpts: You are regarded as the pioneer of big-hitting in modern-day cricket. • Its nice to be identified as one of the players who started the trend. Its my natural game and I dont know any other way to play. Ive made some adjustments but this attacking brand has been my staple diet. It has worked for me for years. Who amongst the young crop do you rate as the best attacking batsman? • There are quite a few players who have come up,but Gautam Gambhir has been really good. Hes succeeded in all formats of the game. There are some others as well who are considered big hitters. You have been around for more than a decade in international cricket. At 39,how long is it before you call it quits? • (Laughs) Dont ask me how long. I dont know the answer myself. As long as my body says Im fine,Ill keep coming back to bat. I try and take it series by series without looking at any specific period of time. Its been going well so far,and I hope to carry on. And Im not even the oldest player here. But there is always the urge for a team to pack the side with youngsters. • As you get older in cricket,your performance gets scrutinised more because there are a lot of youngsters pushing for your place. One has to keep performing and the margin of error gets reduced with time. But every team needs experience,theres no alternative for it,and many teams have realised that. You and Sachin Tendulkar are considered the worlds most dangerous openers of this era. How is it batting together? • We speak to each other a lot,discuss how the delivery couldve been played and how the bowler is doing. It may seem to the outside world that were trying to outdo each other by playing big shots,but our competition is against the other side. We just play our natural games. Its been a great experience so far. We have a good understanding in the middle. Has the Sri Lankan team put the terror attack behind them firmly? • It was really shocking for all of us and were still trying to come to terms with it. I had spoken to my team mates when it happened,and I am happy that everyone is looking to move on. I am a firm believer in Buddhism and I suggested they meditate to calm their mind and be at peace with themselves. Do you miss the Mumbai crowd and playing in India? • Of course. Its a different atmosphere playing in India,with the crowd supporting you. Theres huge interest for IPL in South Africa but they will cheer for particular players,maybe all South Africans in different teams. Mumbai was really wonderful,they backed the entire team there.
