'I love playing cricket in Bangalore'

Today, he is one of the fastest bowlers in the Australian cricket team and has also made his mark in the IPL as part of the Chennai Super Kings. What really attracted him to cricket though was the energy on the field and the enthusiasm towards the game, he says. “And the fact that I get an opportunity to represent my country on an international platform,” he adds.

In the City recently for the umpteenth number of time, Dough tells Metrolife that he can never get enough of Bangalore.

“There is such a confluence of culture in the City and it’s so vibrant. I love playing cricket out here. I think the last time I was here was during Deepavali and I simply enjoyed watching the fireworks light up the sky.”

Having travelled extensively, Dough says that every time he goes to a new place, he makes it a point to grasp a little from each culture and understand it. It is the variety of food that he enjoys the most in India. While he claims to have an experimental palate, he also has an all-time favourite. “I am a big fan of the Lamb Kurma. It’s not too spicy and has the right balance of spices. Every visit of mine to India isn’t complete without eating the Lamb Kurma,” he adds.

Dough totally disagrees with the recent reports about some sports personalities finding the country unfit and unsafe. He is surprised at many of these personalities pulling out of the recently-held Commonwealth Games. “I love coming to India. Be it the weather, the places or the food, I haven’t had any problems or issues with the country so far. I even have so many friends out here who are almost like family now. All those people who pulled out of the games sure didn’t know what they were missing out on,” he says. Ask him on his favourite Indian cricketer, and Dough says it keeps changing as they are all so good. So who are his current favourites? “It has to be the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid,” he adds.

Having entered the sport at the age of 15, Dough has been an inspiration for many youngsters. His key to success, he says, is patience. “It’s a long hard journey to get to the top. The only way to get there is to have tremendous patience and not to forget to enjoy the journey,” he signs off.