JOIN USSri Lankan right-hand middle-order batsman Angelo Mathews looks at Indian Premier League as one big party that brings cricketers from across the world on a common ground.
“It’s great to meet some old friends and people I’ve have played with sometime, during the course of my career,” Angelo says.
Angelo is one of the five cricketers who was at an event recently and what instantly strikes you is that the man is calm and reserved. But he obliges his fans for pictures. “It pays to be calm,” he says. “I think that practice helps especially when you are in Twenty20 cricket,” he pitches in. Angelo played for Kolkata Knight Riders, last season and he’s been picked up by the Pune Warriors India (PWI) this IPL. “We’re a bunch of great lads who share a good rapport on and off the field.”
Mention rivalry and Angelo clarifies, “We have no rivalry whatsoever, it’s a game and we go with the spirit of the game,” he beams.
Ask Angelo if he feels the pressure as the captain of PWI and he says, “Yes, there are times when, we as a team, feel the pressure but what’s the point in getting worked up? You can’t think with a muddled head. You have to be clear about the strategy and I think our boys are good at what they do and know what to do when.”
Angelo says the rather tight schedule leaves him very little time to go shopping or sightseeing. “But we try and find time and chill out. We have been received very well in all the cities we have played till date and I think the warmth matters a lot,” he signs off.