Misbah8217;s Catch: Sreesanth had gone 8216;blank8217;

The whole country's heart beat may have stopped when Misbah's scoop was in air. But what did the man, who lapped the victory, feel?

The whole of country8217;s heat beat may have stopped for a moment, when Misbah-ul Haq8217;s scoop was in the air in the Twenty20 World Cup final, but if you believe S Sreesanth, who lapped the victory catch, he had gone blank.

8220;I was blank. I did not feel anything,8221; Sreesanth said when asked about that catch, which sparked a thunderous celebration among the Indian fans.

Sreesanth was accorded a grand welcome on return to his hometown here from Mumbai.

Winning the Twenty20 World Cup was a dream come true for the medium pacer, who attributes his success in the series to hard work and a never say die attitude.

8220;I feel great. It is an honour to play for the country. It is one of the happiest time,8221; the Kerala bowler told reporters at the airport.

8220;We never gave up and the hard work paid.8221;

Sreesanth, who was fined for his excessive appealing in the India-Australia semi-final match, said, though he was a bit tense in the finals against Pakistan, he kept his cool.

8220;If I was warned again, I would have missed the one day in Bangalore and Kochi,8221; he said replying to a query about his lack of aggressiveness in the final match.

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On Mahendra Singh Dhoni8217;s captaincy, he said he did not find 8220;much of a difference8221;.

He said that luck plays a very important role.

8220;Whatever the team, my job is to play for the country8221;. On the team8217;s good performance despite the absence of senior players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, he said, 8220;They are great players. I started playing seeing Sachin bhai. That is the reason we are playing8221;.

Sreesanth said there was no tension during the tourney.

There was lot of time for relaxation and enjoyment, he said.

On the September 29th India-Australia one dayer at Bangalore, Sreesanth, who had taken the crucial wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden in the semifinal, said the Australians would not 8220;spare him and would come hard on him8221;.

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He said he was looking forward to the October 2 one-day at Kochi and hoped rain, which was causing concern to the organisers, would not disrupt play.

Sreesanth8217;s parents Shantakumaran Nair and Shakuntala Devi, Kerala Cricket Association President T R Balakrishnan and Secretary T C Mathew, were among those who received him at the Nedumbasseri airport.