It was very exciting being part of the Indian team for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies in 2010. I had come in on the strength of some vital performances in the Ranji Trophy and I was thrilled to play in a World Cup.
The atmosphere within the Indian team was excellent and we were all in a positive frame of mind. The senior players such as captain M.S. Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra helped me adjust to the pressure of being part of the squad for a big tournament.
Coach Gary Kirsten and all the support staff like Eric Simons (bowling coach) and Paddy Upton (mental conditioning coach) were also of great help.
We started well with a victory over Afghanistan and then we defeated a strong team like South Africa. Suresh Raina played a fine innings (101) and we were all on the right track.
However, in the other matches, we could not succeed and that’s the nature of Twenty20 because there is no time to recover from a small mistake. In Tests and One Day Internationals, there is scope for a comeback but such options are limited in Twenty20 where even one shot or one error can change the game.
Strong team
Playing a strong team like Australia or home-team — the West Indies — was tough and we gave it our best effort. Yet we could not get past them. In the game against the West Indies, Chris Gayle played a fine knock (98).
I got one game to play — the last one against Sri Lanka — and it was also my debut for India. I did well and got two wickets — Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara. My last two deliveries were hit for sixes but overall my figures (4-0-30-2) were good. It was disappointing to finish on the losing side but we all know that we tried hard through the tournament. Sometimes things don’t go your way.
For me, it was a high to be there and that stint with the Indian team inspired me to try harder. Yes, England won the tournament but for me all that mattered was my team’s performance and we had that fierce desire to win the Cup. Sadly that did not happen.
— R. Vinay Kumar (as told to K.C. Vijaya Kumar)
