The new poster-boy of South African cricket after his breathtaking Test debut against Australia, 24-year-old Jean-Paul Duminy is the highest paid South African in the IPL’s second edition. Fast-tracked into the national team at 20, Duminy had his ups and downs before replacing his mentor Ashwell Prince in the Test squad. He then grabbed an IPL slot in the Mumbai Indians. In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Duminy talks about life after the Aussie series, and about his place in a T20 league designed for big hitters. Excerpts:

How is it being the highest-paid South African in the IPL?

•It’s a good feeling, I can tell you that. Everywhere I go, people keep reminding me about my price tag. But it means a lot of expectations that come along with it and the stakes are high for me. It’s been a good couple of days for the team and I’m enjoying the company of some great players in the dressing room.

In this era of big-hitting, what role do you see yourself playing?

•There are quite a few hitters in various teams, and even in our team. You can’t try and compete against them. I have my own style of batting in Twenty20 and it’s got to do with a lot of innovations in my stroke-making, playing different shots all the time, and keeping the bowlers guessing. I would love to play the kind of innings that Sachin Tendulkar played the other night. There wasn’t any big hitting, but it was effective and match-winning. I’d like to see myself in that role.

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