'I'm ready for Aussie challenge'

Opener Gambhir says Indians will not be complacent against Clarkes men

In a chat with Deccan Herald, Gambhir detailed his mindset and preparations for the tour. Excerpts:

Physically and mentally are you in the right space?
I am feeling really good about my batting, especially the last two one-dayers went off well for me though a big score eluded me in the series against the West Indies. Hopefully, I can correct that in Australia. Physically, I feel that I am in good shape now, no trace of those injuries -- shoulder injury that I suffered post World Cup, and that concussion in England. I am ready for the Aussie challenge.

Australia too have injury worries, and a group inexperienced bowlers. Do you think India should be counted as favourites?
I don’t think we need to jump the gun and start calling ourselves favourites. Yes, Australia have some injury issues, and but they have a very good fast bowling line-up, as bowlers like Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc etc can be very dangerous on their day as we have seen in their last couple of series against South Africa and New Zealand. So we need to be on our toes to do well in the series, as Australians are adept in exploiting even the slightest of lapses.

They also have some experienced batsmen like Ponting, Clarke and Hussey, so you take them lightly only at your peril.

This is your first Test tour to Australia, so what challenges are there for you as a Test opener?
Last time (2008) I went there only for the one-dayers, so I am eager to go to Australia and open the innings in Test cricket. It’s always special to open in Tests, the ultimate challenge as a batsman, especially so in Australia. There we have rather true bounce, and the ball will come on to your bat, something that will suit my style of batting.

You’re having a good year in ODIs, but big runs haven’t come for you in Tests. Is that a worrying factor?
It was not that I wasn’t getting runs in Tests. Just that those big scores that I used to get a season before were eluding me this year. Any cricketer can go through this phase, and I am sure I can turn it around. Perhaps, I need to concentrate a bit more when I am batting in Tests and try to occupy the crease for a longer time. I am sure a big knock is around the corner.

But isn’t it frustrating that you are scoring in one format, and missing out on another?
I haven’t seen it as a frustration. I want to contribute consistently to the team. I don’t want to score a hundred in one match, and then fail for the next 4-5 matches, and then again score a big one. Even if I am not scoring big, I need to score consistently and give the team a good start along with Viru.

In that sense, I am pretty happy with the point where I am now. I am not thinking about my individual score at this moment, giving the team a good start is important for me.

In that context, how important it’s for you to go to Australia early?
It’s really good. In South Africa we’d played one warm-up game, and here we are getting two warm-up games before the first Test and they are fairly strong teams as well. From my point, there’s enough time to get to know Australian conditions, and since this is my first Test tour it will help me a lot.

In 2011, you had to shift from the opening slot in one-dayers at times, and in England you had to bat with a different partner at the top except in one Test, so do you think that constant shuffle unsettled you?
I don’t think so. In England, I opened with Abhinav (Mukund), and he looked solid there. But Viru came back during the series against the West Indies, and if you talk about the ODIs, I had to bat at number three on some occasions for the team’s balance.

I am quite fine with it. Yes, Viru and I share that bond while batting together that dates back to Delhi days, and we understand each other’s game and personalities well. It’s comforting to have him at the other end, and hopefully we will click in Australia and give the team some good starts.