For me every chance is last chance: Parthiv

Before going to England,I watched the Test series closely on television. They bowled short more often to us. So just after the first Test,I packed my bags to the NCA and practised hard on the bowling machine.

So you knew it was coming?

Yes I expected it,because they kept bowling short to us right through the Test series. So I thought it will be good if I go mentally prepared,should they continue with the same tactic in the ODIs. I took many blows in the NCA while practising against the short ball,and thankfully it paid.

Given that you are not tall,how tough is it to play the pull and the hook?

It’s hard. A batsman usually goes by his instincts and it all depends on where the ball is pitched. I have seen Rahul bhai and Laxman bhai playing the pull shot well. An average-height batsman will get the short ball near his chest but for me it will be above the shoulders. So I cleared my thought process,worked on it and was ready to face the short-pitched deliveries. It’s a risky stroke but you need to counter the bouncer barrage that way.

Are you satisfied with the way you performed?

I was happy to have played a few good knocks but I thought (as a team) we were unlucky. There were times when we could have won but the weather spoilt it for us.

How tough was it to score in the English conditions?

To tackle the conditions has always been the main challenge. In a day match,the wicket behaves differently while under lights,it is different. You can’t go with the mind set of scoring boundaries from the first ball,you need to hang in there for a few overs first.

And you and Ajinkya Rahane managed to do that successfully.

We told each other,‘let us try to just bat out the first ten overs.’ We both were new openers batting under difficult conditions. We knew that we can’t give a start like Viru bhai gives but at least we will try not to lose our wickets.

Did you regret missing out on a century in the second ODI?

Yes,I was so close (95),I thought that one shot will bring it but that did not happen. That is what cricket is all about. But more than missing out on a century,it was losing games because of the rain that hurt more.

Does it disturb you that you are still trying to cement your place in the Indian team?

I have stopped thinking about it. When you have the world’s best openers,you have to wait. You can’t do much except going back to domestic cricket,keep scoring runs and wait. But I make sure that every chance I get counts. For me,every chance is last chance.