Chennai, Dec 11: Rahul Sharma, who made his debut in the fourth ODI against the West Indies in Indore, impressed with a three-wicket haul. The legspinner spoke about his bowling and his plans on improving on it ahead of the fifth and final ODI.

Excerpts from the pre-match press conference:

On the Chepauk wicket

The wicket is good for spinners but I don’t know exactly what the team thinks. We are all practicing and whoever gets the chance is ready to play. […] Right now it looks like it is slow and will turn.

On travelling with the Indian team and waiting for a chance to play

There is no question of having to motivate yourself; everyone dreams of playing for India. I was ready to play for India whenever I got the opportunity. The support staff is very good and supported me throughout, [including] [MS] Dhoni bhai and Viru bhai [Virender Sehwag]. They kept telling to be ready all the time and I did that.

On whether not playing cricket for a couple of months made a difference to his game

[It] doesn’t make much of a difference because I have been playing cricket for the last ten years. I was [working on] my preparation and practicing well for the match and so got good results.

On his debut performance in Indore

[…] My focus in one-day cricket is my line and length and I was doing that. I knew the wicket was flat but [West Indies] were under pressure to score over 400 runs so there was a chance to get wickets. My aim was to bowl wicket to wicket and I got the wickets.

On whether he had seen Shane Warne’s dismissal of Mike Gatting

Yes, when I saw the replay it seemed similar, the way the ball went between his [Danza Hyatt’s] legs. [It] felt good that I did so well.

On how he was working on variations on his bowling

When I was in the NCA [National Cricket Academy] I was working with Anil bhai [Kumble]. Now I am working with Eric Simmons on variations in bowling […]

On bowling with R Ashwin

He is a senior bowler and helps a lot; I am learning a lot while playing alongside Ashwin. I hope to improve with experience.