‘Sachin’s knock was inspirational’

•It’s a good feeling,I can tell you that. Everywhere I go,people keep reminding me about my price tag. But it means a lot of expectations that come along with it and the stakes are high for me. It’s been a good couple of days for the team and I’m enjoying the company of some great players in the dressing room.

In this era of big-hitting,what role do you see yourself playing?

•There are quite a few hitters in various teams,and even in our team. You can’t try and compete against them. I have my own style of batting in Twenty20 and it’s got to do with a lot of innovations in my stroke-making,playing different shots all the time,and keeping the bowlers guessing. I would love to play the kind of innings that Sachin Tendulkar played the other night. There wasn’t any big hitting,but it was effective and match-winning. I’d like to see myself in that role.

You idolise Herschelle Gibbs so much that you even try to dress like him. Was the fascination still intact even when Gibbs got involved in several controversies?

•(Laughs) Do I look a lot like him? It’s just that ear-stud and dressing sense,but I’ve got bit more hair. Gibbs is my idol and nothing can change that. He has always been a great entertainer,whether he’s batting or fielding. There’s never a dull moment when he’s on the field. Nothing could ever change that,not even his rough patch in between. You don’t change idols because you have a thing or two about their styles of cricket. I wanted to be a cricketer like him growing up. I remember when I made the South African team,he told me to just believe in myself and back my abilities.

But it didn’t quite work early on for you. You made your one-day debut at 20 and it took four years before you stormed back into the international arena.

•Personally,I thought I was too young to play international cricket when I made my debut four years ago. Having said that,there are quite a few players who have made their debuts early and are doing pretty well. I realised that there was a big gap between domestic cricket and the international stage,and I wasn’t too ready to take such a major step. I realised you don’t get freebies like you do at the first-class level. I spent the time out of the national side working on my technique and temperament,determined to make amends when I got another chance.

You got a call-up because Ashwell Prince was unwell. Finally,wasn’t it just a stroke of luck that you got the opportunity?

•Despite all the hard work I’d put in,there was indeed luck involved in my selection. I had been moving around with the team for almost a year without getting a chance to play. I was getting eager to get a bat in the Test side. I knew exactly my role in the team and the circumstances in which I could make my way into the side. So when Ashwell (Prince) couldn’t play because of being unfit,I knew I was the next one in. I said to myself that this was my chance and I needed to grab it. I was ready for it.

How has life changed after that memorable Test debut against Australia?

•To start with,I get recognised anywhere I go. People come up to me to say ‘well done’ and ask for autographs. I get written about in magazines and it’s all shaping up nicely. On the cricket field,I am taken more seriously. And,of course,it has helped get with this IPL contract.