They say Indian conditions are the hardest test for a fast bowler, how true
is that?
Very true, mate, you got to believe it. Indian wickets are the hardest to bowl on, if you are a fast bowler. When you run in and you slip one through at top pace, you hit the deck, as a fast bowler you like to see results, you like to see the ball kick, you like to get the batsman in trouble but that doesn't happen here, the pitch is slow, the bounce is low. And that is what makes India such a tough test, a challenging assignment for a fast bowler.

Is the answer to focus on line and length, then?
Not really, if you mean cutting down pace to focus on line and length then no. Fast bowling is the attacking element to your game, cutting down on the pace is not the way you want to go. I think it is more important to use variety, to vary your pace rather than cut it down, and also the ball reverse swings here a lot, and that is a bonus, it is a weapon you can use quite a lot. You also need to really push yourself to learn, from wherever and whoever you can. For example, Srinath has been successful in your home conditions, he is a good bowler, so I've been looking at tapes of him, there is things I can learn from him on how to bowl on the kind of wickets you have here.

You've been out through injury for quite a while, how fit are you now?
Very fit, mate, or they wouldn't have picked me would they? Actually, I had this shoulder cartilege problem, same thing Warney had, I had an operation in May and began bowling again around November, by December I was playing again, for Queensland and I was fully fit then. That is another thing -- the last time, we came here at the end of the season and we were all tired, I know I was. This time round, I am coming off a layoff, so I feel a lot fresher, fitter, and that helps.

Actually, all of us are pretty fit -- it is a big thing with us. We see ourselves as cricket athletes, not cricket players. We set our own benchmarks, fitness-wise, and they are pretty tough ones, and we take pride in keeping our standards high.

Did you expect the call-up for India?
Actually no, it was a surprise, pleasant one to be sure. When I got back into the nets, around November, the Indian tour was not on the immediate horizon, I was just looking at playing myself back into form, but yeah, when I got the call, it felt good.

Steve Waugh said that more than ability, he was looking to take players with character and mental strength to India. When your captain says that, and you get picked, it feels good because it tells you about yourself, how your mates see you.

The last time I was here, it was not such a good tour for us, in terms of results, and when I was leaving, I told myself I wanted to come back just once, I wanted to do it again and do it better this time. So yeah, now I have the chance and it feels damn good.

You are on the hottest winning streak in cricket history. But is that a high, or does it bring pressure, knowing that you can't afford to lose the next one?
It depends on you, how you take things, individually and as a team. For some it could be pressure, it could bring the fear of losing and having people say the streak is over, but we, this team, we look on it as a challenge. We have won 15, so can we raise the bar even higher, is how we look at it. The history books suggest that India is the biggest challenge for an Australian team, so we are looking forward to it, we think we are up to it, and the fact that we have been winning all along has us in the right frame of mind -- we are not even thinking of losing, the side is confident that we can do it again.

How much has the captain, and coach, contributed to this can-do, will-do
mood in the team?
Enormously. Steve Waugh has us believing we are the best, and also, he refuses to accept anything less than the best from each one of us. And when you have a team where every player is doing his damndest because nothing less is acceptable, then it becomes a pretty good team. John (Buchanan) is the ideal mate for Steve, he expects us to win, he believes we are capable of it, he like Steve won't accept any less from us. The advantage is, winning like losing can bring with it a sense of staleness, you can go flat after a while, get complacent, whatever, but John makes sure that he keeps it fresh, makes it interesting for us, he varies the challenges, pushes you in different ways.

But by the same token, when you have a team that wins this big and this
consistently, how does it feel if you have to sit on the bench?
Well, mate, it feels bettr than not being in the team at all. (*laughing*) But actually, it feels pretty good. Maybe right now, when you don't make the cut, you feel a bit bad -- but then you sit back and you think to 20, 30 years from now. When the history of this period is written, they will be writing about this team as one of the best of all time. And when they write about us, they will say that Michael Kasprowicz was part of that team -- and that feels good, mate, very good!

Australian player profiles

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