Deccan Chargers' skipper Adam Gilchrist is very excited and keen to do well in IPL-3. The defending champions begin their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on March 12. In an exclusive chat with ToI on Tuesday, Gilchrist affirmed his team's commitment to play an exciting brand of cricket. Excerpts.
You're probably the best advertisement for a wicketkeeper-captain, leading the defending champions...
Thank you. Wicketkeeping brings with it an involvement throughout. You're involved in every ball, perhaps more than anyone else. So it helps you have a better understanding of the game and what's going on. I think that helps the team when it needs attention or direction.
It was tough going in IPL-I. How difficult was it for you to face the situation after getting used to the Australian way?
It just confirmed to me that losing, the feeling of losing, is the same no matter who you play for. It's not that we never lost a game for Australia. We had lost and I had experienced it before. I was very lucky to play in a successful era for Australia. But that (DC) was a great challenge for me and everyone in Deccan Chargers.
Did you veer off track in trying to adapt to local conditions than forging a separate DC identity?
Without doubt. Every team would have been looking to understand and appreciate each other's cultures, especially when most teams had nearly six different nationalities. We were the same. Perhaps we overdid it early but since no success came we probably neglected it towards the end. What we realised was that we needed to create our own environment and culture.
Given the clout T20 wields what do you reckon are the major areas due to change because of the new format?
In terms of cricket, the mindset of the players: that anything is achievable. It's really creating a new style of cricket. Brendon McCullum showed last week and (Tillakaratne) Dilshan is doing it. I read with interest McCullum saying the bowlers are getting better so we need to open up new areas on the ground so that we get more scoring options. It's fascinating to watch that happen.
You're probably the best advertisement for a wicketkeeper-captain, leading the defending champions...
Thank you. Wicketkeeping brings with it an involvement throughout. You're involved in every ball, perhaps more than anyone else. So it helps you have a better understanding of the game and what's going on. I think that helps the team when it needs attention or direction.
It was tough going in IPL-I. How difficult was it for you to face the situation after getting used to the Australian way?
It just confirmed to me that losing, the feeling of losing, is the same no matter who you play for. It's not that we never lost a game for Australia. We had lost and I had experienced it before. I was very lucky to play in a successful era for Australia. But that (DC) was a great challenge for me and everyone in Deccan Chargers.
Did you veer off track in trying to adapt to local conditions than forging a separate DC identity?
Without doubt. Every team would have been looking to understand and appreciate each other's cultures, especially when most teams had nearly six different nationalities. We were the same. Perhaps we overdid it early but since no success came we probably neglected it towards the end. What we realised was that we needed to create our own environment and culture.
Given the clout T20 wields what do you reckon are the major areas due to change because of the new format?
In terms of cricket, the mindset of the players: that anything is achievable. It's really creating a new style of cricket. Brendon McCullum showed last week and (Tillakaratne) Dilshan is doing it. I read with interest McCullum saying the bowlers are getting better so we need to open up new areas on the ground so that we get more scoring options. It's fascinating to watch that happen.
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