Munaf takes fame in his stride

Munaf Patel, the Indian fast bowler, has acknowledged the rapid change in his lifestyle since stepping into international cricket. After having his mobile number changed and his house in the tiny village of Ikhar in Gujarat hounded by the media, Munaf, 23, admitted that he was learning to deal with fame.

"I have lost my privacy," Munaf told Mumbai Mirror a day before the Indian team left for the Unitech Cup in Sri Lanka. "There is someone always at the door wanting to meet me or my phone is ringing. As it is, as an international player there is so much travelling involved and I get so less time to spend with my family."

As India prepare for the tri-series in Sri Lanka, also featuring South Africa, Munaf singled out the home side as the bigger threat. "They leave nothing to chance while playing at home," he said. "They know their conditions and take full advantage of that. Lanka just had twin series wins against England and South Africa and have hit a good patch."

Munaf felt that bowling in the West Indies would definitely be an asset in the tri-series. "Surprisingly the wickets in West Indies this time were very slow and low. That has helped me figure what line and length to bowl on slow wickets, like the ones we'll get in Sri Lanka," he said. "On tour I had fruitful chats with former West Indies greats like Andy Roberts too. As for the future I plan to bowl stump to as per coach Greg Chappell's instructions. I know I will have to work hard to get wickets on the slow tracks and am ready for the challenge.

"I can still bowl as fast whenever I want to," he continued. "But speed is not always important, one needs to out-think the batsmen and that's possible with accuracy and consistency. I am working towards that." And as far as reverse-swing was concerned, Munaf was straightforward: "The fact is that in one day matches the white ball reverse swings well, but the opposition batsmen usually get it changed before it reaches the stage where you can make it swing the wrong way. So it's wise to stick to the conventional swing and get wickets."