•Is it true that you wanted the team management to switch you back to the middle-order when the runs had dried up?

• Yes... I wasn’t getting many runs and I had asked if I could bat in the middle-order. I thought I would be able to contribute better but the team management vetoed it. They said I have done well as an opener, and that it was my role in the team. They were willing to back me and I was ready all over again. Everything worked out really well.

•How do you and Gambhir motivate each other in the middle?

• Gauti and I place these friendly bets and compete with each other all the time. I believe that a sense of competition always helps achieve your best and so we indulge in these little games. I really teased him when I outscored him in the one-day series and he told me he would get back at me. After the Test series, he’s teasing me about how many more runs he scored than me. We have these little bets going all the time.

•Would you say this is the best phase of your career?

• Definitely, not just because I am getting big runs but because these runs have really translated into victories for the team. There are several factors surrounding these statistics — the dressing room atmosphere, the team mates, coach, captain — it’s everything you could dream of.

... contd.