da bet7k： Danish Kaneria has said it will be a new and tougher challenge for him but he is determined and motivated to play a leading role in the upcoming series against India
Cricinfo staff01-Jan-2006
Kaneria: ‘I think my experience with Essex would help me inthe series against India in more than one way’ © AFP
Billed as Pakistan’s trump card against India, Danish Kaneria has said it will be a new and tougher challenge for him but he is determined and motivated to play a leading role in the upcoming series at home.”The series will be tough for me in several ways, like different balls to be used in the series and tough weather conditions in which the Tests would be played,” Kaneria said. “But the bottom line is that it will be a new series and we as a team will not try to live in the past glories and would try to extend our success run.”Kaneria, 25 – who took 19 wickets against India last year – said the Tests would be played in the chilli Punjab weather which could make it difficult for spinners to bowl.”The fingers take time to warm up,” he said, “and sometimes you struggle toproperly use the wrist. I think my experience with Essex would help me inthe series against India in more than one way.”Kaneria added that he was getting adjusted to playing with different types ofballs; he bowled with SG balls in India and Australian Kookaburras against England at home.”The SG balls have lifted seam but after 15 overs or so, the seamsoftens whereas the Kookaburra balls don’t have lifted seam at all,” he said. “I know different bowlers prefer to bowl with certain balls but I am a professional who would like to be equally good with whichever ball I bowl with.”I mean in England (with Essex), I bowl with Dukes. In professionalcircuit, you should know how to ball with different balls because there isno excuse in international cricket (sic).”India arrive on Thursday for their second tour of Pakistan in threeyears and play Pakistan in the first Test at Lahore, followed by Testsin Faisalabad and Karachi. Kaneria was diplomatic when asked which Indian batsmen he would be targeting but revealed he would like to grab frontline players.”There is no specific Indian batsman I would be targeting,” he said. “India has astrong batting line up and to win a Test, we will have to bowl them out. Iwould be more than happy to grab as many frontline batsmen as I can.”On paper, India has the strongest batting lineup in the world. We knowthat and we are chalking out strategies to counter that. I will be regularlytalking and consulting my captain and coach because their experience andadvice will surely help me.”There is nothing like winning and the victories in tough games andfrom crunch situations has given us the confidence that we can beat any teamfrom any situation. Each player is bubbling with confidence and I am sure like me, all theplayers are waiting for the series against India to start. This is themother of all series.”