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Being Monty
Australia has
been a tough series, they deserve to be the best side in the
world. I feel I came out okay after the series. India will always be
a dark horse for me, as they are one of the best sides for playing
spin
 The
new king of spin talks to Devadyuti Das about his popularity,
success and the tough Indian challenge ahead Madhusuden Singh
Panesar, better known as Monty, is the biggest success story of the
small county called Bedfordshire near Northamptonshire, being touted
as the greatest English spinner ever. In little over a year, Panesar
has gone on to change the face of English spin bowling. The
25-year-old’s Indian roots bring him closer to the sub-continent
fans. His parents – Paramjit and Gursharan — were born in Punjab and
Paramjit arrived in England at the age of 19 in the mid 1970s. Since
his debut against India in 2006, Monty has become the first English
spinner in 30 years to be rated in the top 10 in ICC’s rankings. His
23 wickets in the series victory over West Indies makes him one of
the biggest threat for Rahul Dravid’s men. In an exclusive interview
Panesar talks about his new found popularity and success after the
West Indies and his future hopes and aspirations.
You have come a long way since your debut against India at Nagpur.
How do you look back at the past one year?
At present I do not have time to look back, maybe when I have
reached my goal I will take a back seat and have a review on my
past.
After 23 wickets against the
West Indies, you’re now rated as the best English spinner in
the last 30 years. What are your thoughts on your new stature as the
leading spinner of your side?
I’m very satisfied with my
performance. I understand that the public have had a lot of
enjoyment from watching the series and it makes me feel proud. I
hope I can continue to progress in the right direction.
What have you learned from the
experience of bowling against Australia and India — both good
players of spin.
I’m learning ever day by
keeping an open mind and taking in lots of advise. Australia has
been a tough series, they deserve to be the best side in the world.
I feel I came out okay after the series. India will always be a dark
horse for me, as they are one of the best side for playing spin.
What are the areas you have improved in the last one year? Do you
think you improved your fielding along with your bowling?
I would like to think that my overall bowling and fielding have
reached an acceptable level. Although I will continue to have an
open mind and extra efforts will be applied. I’m not sure what
results this will bring. Wait and see.
You have a big fan following across the world. Your take?
I know this is the case and cannot emphasise the importance this
has played in my short career to date. I’m very thankful for this
support and sincerely hope this will remain. This may be due to my
cricket performance, personality and my background in relation to
who I play for.
Who do you think are the best
players of spin in India?
I have a lot of respect for
players, in particular my teen idol Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul
Dravid,MS Dhoni and many others.
Sachin Tendulkar was your first test wicket, your thoughts on
bowling to him again?
Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsman who is well respected
throughout the world. I do the same. As far as my cricket is
concerned, I will play as I am and continue to work hard at my game.
Your opinion about the spin
bowlers in India. Will India miss someone like Harbhajan Singh
in England?
Harbhajan is a good friend of mine. He’s a very good spinner and I’m
not sure why he has been left out this series.
Finally, what are your future plans?
Any Bollywood dreams like Brett Lee?
My ambition and passion is to play cricket. I look no further to
this at this stage.
4 July 2007
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