Abhishek Nayar Interview: "Hopeful about India cap in the future"

Abhishek Nayar is currently hot property in the Indian domestic cricket scene because of his splendid performance both with the bat and ball in the Ranji season.He played a major role in guiding Mumbai to its 40th Ranji title. This year in the IPL, he will be playing for the Sahara Pune Warriors. Sportskeeda had a chat with the promising cricketer about the Ranji season and the IPL:

Are you ready to lead the current Ranji champions Mumbai in the Irani Trophy?

This is going to be the first time when I will be leading the Mumbai senior team, and its going to be a big challenge for me. I am lucky to have people like Sachin, Ajinkya and Rohit who will be there for me to assist me with everything. I am going to enjoy this role, and we all will hope to play some good cricket.

You have had a very successful Ranji season, both with the bat and ball. Are you satisfied?

I have worked very hard with a certain goal in mind, and I am happy I was able to do well with both the bat and the ball. There are still a lot of matches to go, and I have to keep working hard.

What areas have you worked on to improve on your bowling?

I have been working on a few technical aspects. I have worked on my run-up a lot. I am trying to bowl like I used to in my U-19s, as I was really good back then too. I think I am almost there, and everyone in the team is quite happy with the way I have been bowling too, and I am happy with that. I am concentrating a lot on my fitness too.

The Mumbai team will be playing without two main pacers, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan. How much of a disadvantage is that?

We have a young bowling attack, and all four of them are playing their first season. It’s a tough task ahead, as ROI has a strong batting lineup including the likes of Sehwag and Raina, but I am sure our bowlers will be giving their best on the field.

How strong do you think Mumbai is as a team against the Rest Of India?

We have a little setback when it comes to the bowling department, as our main bowlers are not players and the current ones are inexperienced. Dhawal however stands out, as he is bowling very well and also batting well. We have a very good batting lineup, now that Ajinkya and Rohit are back from their international duties. We will look forward to beating Rest of India this time.

You must be elated with the fact that you were the highest sold Indian in the IPL auction…

Yes, it came as a pleasant surprise, and I am looking forward to playing for the Pune Warriors in the IPL.

Are you expecting a call to play for the Indian team soon?

Well, I am hopeful. I have always been hopeful, optimistic and positive about what I do. I am never going to give up on the Indian cap. I have been there, I feel I could have done a lot more with the opportunity that I got, but I think there is always a next time and hopefully this time around with the hard work that I have put in, things can go my way.