If your game gets praised by someone of the stature of Sunil Gavaskar,then you know what potential you possess. Manan Vohra,who played for Kings XI Punjab is among the few Gavaskar singled out during the IPL and this will be the biggest achievement for the 19-year old Chandigarh lad. Injuries have plagued him at the wrong time but Manan has hopes pinned on the coming season. He opens up about his goals to Sportline. Excerpts: * Last year was tough for you in terms of injuries. First you missed the U-19 WC,then the Ranji season. How hungry are you this time for the upcoming domestic season ? Injuries happened at wrong junctures. I was very disappointed. But it is better to think about the present and the future rather than thinking about the lost chances. I am a positive person now. I was expecting too much from myself last season. This time around I am taking things as they come. All my focus is on the present and I need to deliver the goods whenever required. * How are you preparing yourself playing for Chandigarh in the Punjab inter-district cricket tournament for Katoch Shield Trophy? I have been working hard on mental strengthening. I think it is an area on which I need to work even more harder than my cricket and fitness. During IPL,I threw my wickets away. Earlier too,I I kept throwing my wickets away carelessly. I need to spend more time in the middle and work on long innings. I will focus on my strengths and play accordingly,keeping in mind that it is a four-day form of cricket. * In your absence,Jiwanjot Singh and Karan Goel did well for Punjab as openers. Do you think it will be difficult for you to break into the Punjab Ranji squad as an opener ? I am not competing with any of the openers. I reckon my competition is with myself. I need to prove a point to myself not to others. Performance is in my hands not the selection part. So I will have to perform and leave everything to God. *Yuvraj Singh was in Chandigarh for few days recently. Did you get a chance to speak with him on the season ahead ? It would have been great to spend time with Yuvi paaji,but we could not meet him this time. I look up to him and his feats. * Most of the U-19 WC winning team members are well placed in their respective state teams,be it Ranji Trophy,Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy or Vijay Hazare Trophy. Do u feel a bit disappointed not being able to achieve that yet,knowing the fact that you made your Ranji debut back in 2012? There is a feeling of disappointment as I have not been able to secure or cement berths in any of the state teams. At the same time,I guess injuries broke that rhythm and steadiness. After the finger injury,I had been affected with ankle injury. However,I have almost recoveredfrom the injury now. So all the stress is on the Katoch Shield Trophy outing. I will be fully fit that time. If I perform well,god willing I can secure places in the respective state teams. * Playing for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 6 earned you lot of praise from former cricketers and coaches. How was the experience for you ? The IPL stint was like a learning curve,the experience to play under the big players was simply out of the world. It has raised the level of confidence and approach towards the sport. Moreover,what I havelearned during IPL is to learn how to handle criticism. *What are your goals and targets for this season ? What are the areas on which you are looking at in order to perfect yourself for the competitions ? I will aim to put up match winning performances and spend more time in the middle. I need to respect my wicket and not throw away like that. There are some areas on which I will work upon. I guess some of my shot selection while batting needs perfection. Also,I have started to bowl off-spin. It is good to be a useful bowler who can bowl 4-5 good overs. I am bowling a lot of overs in the nets these days.
