'Everyone wants me to bowl faster'

It's been a meteoric rise for Munaf Patel since he came to prominence with a 10-wicket haul against England in a tour game in February. On Test debut a few weeks later at Mohali, he did nearly as well, taking 7 for 97 as India battled back to win an even contest. Nudging the speedometer at 90mph, he also showed the ability to reverse-swing the ball effectively, ending English resistance with a superb burst on the final morning.

Since then, with Irfan Pathan struggling for form and consistency, Munaf has been thrust into the role of pace spearhead. He struggled initially with the one-day format, but an excellent spell against Australia on Saturday suggested that he was finding his feet in the hit-and-miss version.

Given the new ball during the Tests in the West Indies - he took 14 wickets in the four games - he was given first use of the white ball on Saturday after Pathan gave another insipid display in India's opening match against West Indies. After practice on Monday morning at the Royal Selangor Club, Munaf looked back on the past few months and spoke of the responsibilities attached to taking the new ball.

"Opening the attack isn't really in my hands," he said. "Whatever the coach and the captain decide is after a great deal of thought, and in the best interests of the team."

Coming on as first change against West Indies, he had figures of 1 for 18 from five overs, the only bowler to escape a hammering as Chris Gayle and friends romped to 141 from 20 overs. And after taking a bit of a shellacking early against Australia, he finished with 3 for 53, earning praise from Ricky Ponting for the manner in which he had swung the ball.

As for reverse swing, Patel felt that it was easier with the traditional red ball than the white one. "You don't get too much reverse with the white ball," he said. "The batsmen too sense reverse, and are looking for any excuse to get the ball changed.

"The red ball reverses more because you can use it for longer periods, while the white ball can at best be used for 50 overs and even then, it's changed at least once during every innings. That's one of the main reasons why it doesn't reverse much."

"I am fairly satisfied, but I want to put up an even better display," said Munaf, when asked to assess his displays so far. "My primary goal is to bowl according to the requirements of the team. There has been bounce and movement for the quicker bowlers here, but it's important to concentrate on line and length because those who stick to good lines and lengths are the ones who are having success. The boundaries are fairly small and if you sacrifice accuracy for pace, then you will go for plenty of runs."

With rain having played a part in both Indian games, he admitted that the team now faced a must-win situation. "There's bound to be a bit of pressure on us, but there's pressure on West Indies too. There's pressure on all teams. We want to win the next two matches and make it to the final.

"We lost four matches on the trot in the West Indies, and here too, because of the rain, we lost the first match. We are focussed on putting up a better performance on Wednesday [against West Indies]."

The match against Australia was also his first opportunity to come across Glenn McGrath, unquestionably the greatest pace bowler of our age. "McGrath is a bowler who concentrates on line and length, he doesn't have great pace but his control is remarkable," said Munaf. "I have been speaking with him, and I will continue to speak to him as the tournament progresses. All the bowlers are eager to meet him and learn from him."

His team-mates continue to badger him to bowl quicker, but for Munaf, striking a balance is crucial. "Everyone wants that I bowl faster," he said. "But I want to ally line and length with pace, not bowl all over the park striving for pace. I can bowl quick, but my principal focus is accuracy."

With Pathan and the other pace bowlers struggling to find their radar, it's imperative that Munaf homes in during the next two games. Else, India face the chastening prospect of an early flight home.