Almost famous

Before we left I read a newspaper article about the World Cup that said that India could be the best and the worst. And, you know, that was what happened - we played brilliantly through the tournament only to lose the final miserably.

As a batsman my toughest, and most memorable, match was the semi-final against New Zealand, a team we had lost to earlier. We were under pressure at 38 for 2 when I came to bat. Anjum [Chopra] and I had to build the innings and our stand was crucial.

We didn't talk too much during the partnership. We had batted together over the years and knew each other's style and temperament. All we said was, "We can do this."

The best part of the game was that several decisions were referred to the third umpire and it was really our day because every decision - marginal mostly - went in our favour.

The 2005 India team was also one of the best I have played with - there was a great mix of youth and experience. Anjum, Neetu [David] and Anju Jain were the seniors with a lot of experience, while Nooshin [Al Khadeer] and Amita [Sharma] were playing their first World Cup. We gelled together on and off the field, went sightseeing and shopping together and enjoyed each other's successes.