JOIN USKiwi Taylor stumped by popularity
In this interaction, Taylor drifted between his batting, IPL and culinary skills. Excerpts:
You have a naturally aggressive style. Is that an advantage in a format like T20?
I can block it when I have to. It’s a little bit easier for me -- my natural instinct is to hit fours and sixes but I try and bat according to the situation.
Do you believe the two schools of batting – orthodox and unorthodox – can co-exist in T20?
You’ve got to bat according to the situation and your role within the team. Depending on where I bat – top three or four, five or six – my role changes. You got to know your role when you go out to bat. You probably have a license to get your eye in and score a bit quicker in the end. Whether you need 120 runs or 220 runs, you need to know your role.
But is it tough to change slots on a regular basis?
It’s a part of my job to adjust to different slots. My role with the New Zealand team is a bit different from what I have with RCB. I am enjoying it and hopefully will have some success in the rest of the tournament.
You have been appointed New Zealand’s stand-bye captain. Any additional pressure…
It’s an honour to be in that role. I look at myself as someone who can score runs and lead the way and if I can do that, I will be happy. But no pressure as such.
But why not a vice-captain, why a stand-bye captain?
You got to ask Daniel (Vettori) for that. Daniel is captain, coach, selector, best all-rounder in the world, he is everything (laughs). I got a text from Rahul (Dravid) saying `congratulations and in my time it was called vice-captain.’
Are you happy to see your popularity in the Chinnaswamy stadium?
I got a good reception here but I wasn’t expecting it. It was an amazing feeling to hear people chant your name. Having said that, I know my job is to score runs and by that if I can please the crowd, the team and the boss, I am happy. We are lucky to have a loyal home crowd. Hopefully we will win the three games and the semifinal out here and give them something to cheer.
You trace your origin to Samoa, can you still speak Samoan?
A little bit. I lost touch after I joined boarding school. But I still can understand much of it. Hopefully, I can regain the touch. I still know the greeting word in Samoan pretty fluently – Talofa.
We’ve heard a lot about your culinary skills…
I love cooking and keep recipes from various countries. I love to make lamb dishes. But I have found a new taste for Indian curries, they are yummy.