Question: Can you tell us about your early days in Ranchi? Where did it all begin?
Answer: I started
as a footballer. I was a goalkeeper in
school. Our school team was lacking a wicket-keeper batsman. My games teacher came up to me and said, "look, it is basically the same thing, the footwork and the eye. You can give wicket-keeping a try with the leather ball." I practised for a whole year without playing a single match. It was fun for me. I love keeping, goalkeeping or wicket-keeping. I just loved it. I was in class seven at that time. Things happened from there. That was the beginning.
Where you always so aggressive?
I used to hit balls right from the start. I loved the feeling. There was nothing else in my mind. When I started with tennis ball
cricket, there was no leaving the ball and stuff like that. It was just scoring from each and every ball.
What was the turning point in your school days as a batsman?
It was 1997. I was in the tenth standard, and it was the school league final, a limited overs match, and I got 213 not out. My partner Shabbir Hussian got 119. We made around 378 runs in an opening wicket partnership. That was one of the turning points in my career. I started playing for the official club in Ranchi after that. That''s when I started playing real, competitive cricket.
You continue to be attacking. You do not hide your urge to dominate the attack.
I have always batted that way. Of course, there are different aspects I have learnt about the right ball to strike, about temperament. It has been a learning experience.
There must have been quite a lot of people who helped you in your cricketing journey...
The first man was K. R. Banerjee, who was our games teacher in school. Then there was Mr. Rohit Kashyap who used to make us practice. Then there was a coach Mr. Bhattacharya. Then, when I started playing for the official team, the CCL, there was Mr. Devan Sahai. When I made my Ranji Trophy debut, Mr. Randhir Singh was the coach. He actually picked us for the Ranji Trophy squad.
What I remember are the innings of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in Sharjah against Australia. Sachin''s innings was called the ''Desert Storm''. I used to play cricket but never used to watch a lot of it. But I loved Sachin''s batting. I loved the way he smashed the ball, along with Sourav.
What was the atmosphere at home as you grew up?
I am from a middle-class family. My father, Mr. Pansingh, was employed in MECON. The best part was that my father never said, "don''t play cricket." He wanted me to study as well. Only after I was in the tenth did he probably know that I could make a career out of cricket. There were no obstacles at home.
So there was plenty of support from the family.
There is dad, mom, one brother and a sister, both elder to me. I am the youngest in the family and the `dearest one'' you can say. I was not really pampered because I was not that sort of a child. I used to study a lot. I used to play a lot. I was quite scared of my father. And I was quite close to my mother. My mom was more like a friend to me. My brother is in Almora. My sister is married and settled in Ranchi. It was a happy atmosphere at home as I grew up. There was plenty of encouragement for me.
Which part of India do your ancestors hail from? The popular belief is that you are a Jat.
My parents are from Uttaranchal. I am a Rajput, there are lots of them in Uttaranchal. But I am proud to say that I am from Jharkhand. I was born and brought up in Jharkhand.
My idol is Adam Gilchrist. I love the way he bats, the way he keeps. I like his attitude, his aggressive batting. He dominates the bowlers completely. He is ent keeper.
How did the small-town boy stare into the big, bright, bold lights of the city?
The best part was I never thought that I would be excluded from the zonal level because I am from Ranchi. Whether it was for the school, club or the Ranji Trophy team I just wanted to perform. My theory was that if I kept performing, nobody could keep me out of the team.
Any innings you can recall as you were developing into a cricketer?
What I remember are the innings of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in Sharjah against Australia. Sachin''s innings was called the `Desert Storm''. I used to play cricket but never used to watch a lot of it. But I loved Sachin''s batting. I loved the way he smashed the ball, along with Sourav.
There must have been words spoken to you that have stayed in your mind, probably egged you on in your journey?
When I made my Ranji Trophy debut I got 60-odd and 40-odd runs. Bihar''s Avinash Kumar, among the best left-arm spinners I have seen, said, "You''ve got the talent to play for India". That was the first big comment for me. That was the last first class match that he played. I cannot forget that moment.
You are a blazing magnum on the field. Off it your persona undergoes a transformation.
I am very quiet, calm and cool. I always keep smiling. When I am not smiling, I look quite intense and some people are afraid of me because of my looks. It is not like that. People close to me know me well. I am quite aggressive on the field, particularly while batting. But while keeping I don''t pass comments on the batsmen.
What are your recollections about your 148 against Pakistan? That innings captured the imagination of the people in the country, and put your career on the road.
I knew I had to perform to be there at the international level. Against Bangladesh, I could not do so for a variety of reasons. Against Pakistan, when I got my second match at No. 3, I knew it was my last opportunity. It was a challenge for me. The wicket was good. It was a flat track. The ground was not very big. All the things were set up for me.
You tend to underplay your achievements. You often talk about flat tracks...
It was actually a flat track and I cannot say anything otherwise. The toughest part was the heat. It was hot and humid over there.
What is the secret of your ability to send the ball soaring over the ropes effortlessly?
Technically, it must be my power, the bat speed that I generate, and the swing of the bat. These are the things that help me hit big sixes. I practice a lot for those sixes because I gain confidence. If you clear the field once, then most of the other times you are through. When you are confident you can go for the sixes.
You walk with an unmistakable swagger. There is a famous West Indian who used to saunter in like that.
Not really, I have not really seen any of Vivian Richards'' clippings till now. I am quite different. I also walk a little fast. I was reading somewhere that my walk was like a tribal leader walking. It''s quite natural to me. I have not changed it. It was with me from the start.
You are also learning to play according to different situations. In the Pune and Vadodara ODIs, you only opened out in the latter stages of the innings.
I read the game quite well and that''s because I have played a lot of domestic cricket. I have learnt to play according to situations and that is the crucial thing. Whether batting at No. 3 or No. 6, I know that I have to go there and perform. At No. 3, the requirement is a big innings. At No. 6, the team would want you to finish things well.
For such an aggressive batsman, you hit through the l