I am comfortable with my form

Gautam Gambhir hasnt had the time yet to unpack after returning from the IPL in South Africa,and its already time for him to jet out again.

Gautam Gambhir hasnt had the time yet to unpack after returning from the IPL in South Africa,and its already time for him to jet out again. Quietly shutting himself from everything cricket,he spent some quality time with his family to recharge his batteries. Before catching the flight for Mumbai on his way to England for the World T20 Championship,the versatile left-hander spoke to The Indian Express on his form,Indias chances in England and his dislike for stereotyping.

Excerpts:

amp;149;There has been a fair bit of debate over your form ahead of the World Cup.

amp;149; I really dont feel stressed or worried about what is being said around me. Its not easy to come to T20 soon after playing a Test series and anybody who watched the games knows I was unlucky on a couple of occasions. If you look at the overall picture,I was not way off the mark. Its not that I didnt score runs at all. Just one match before the semi-final,I got 40-odd runs. I was Man of the Match against Kolkata Knight Riders. I think its okay once in a while if you dont reach the peak. Its the mental state that really matters and it tells you what kind of form you are in. I am feeling very comfortable with myself and my form.

amp;149;Does the tag of Bradman of T20 put pressure on you?

amp;149; Honestly,I dont believe in these tags. It doesnt bother me if you call me T20 Bradman or The Wall,because thats what people call you at a particular time when you have done well. I have always been concerned about scoring runs in every game,in every situation,without bothering to justify the brand name given to me.

amp;149;Is Team India in the right frame of mind and form to defend their title?

amp;149; I think its a blessing in disguise that we played the IPL before the World Cup because every member of our team is in the T20 groove,having played 14-15 games at a stretch. I think everyone is in the right frame of mind to defend the title. Personally,I love to play in England. I like the atmosphere and the ambience. I am confident of a good performance there.

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amp;149;India apart,who are strong contenders for the World Cup?

amp;149; I think the biggest lesson we have learnt from the IPL is to stop predicting winners. Nobody thought we Delhi Daredevils would lose in the semi-finals,or that the Deccan Chargers would go on to take the title. We have to admit there are no favourites or underdogs in this format because any player,on a given day,can win it for his team.

amp;149;Indias hopes of defending the title hinge on you and Virender Sehwag. Have you discussed how to go about it?

amp;149; Theres a lot of time for the tournament to begin. Before that,there are warm-up games as well. We dont plan or talk about things too much in advance. We will get there,attend a couple of practice sessions to assess everything the pitch and local conditions and plan accordingly. In any case,the Twenty20 format is based more on intuition. We have clicked as a good opening pair in the past and I have no reason to doubt ourselves or the teams ability to retain the title.