I don't think I have a bad record against the Indians. I've scored two tons and a fifty against India in 11 matches. What about the 153 that I scored at Bangalore? Sometimes, I have scored better in India than I have back home. I have scored well in India than back home. Statistics can be misleading, mate. I enjoy playing spin and am comfortable playing spinners here; it's a real challenge. Against Sri Lanka, I was just running through a bad patch, I was out of form, that is all I can say for myself.

A couple of months back, you seemed under pressure, there was a question mark about your place in the side...?

I don't think I was under pressure, no, I am averaging 40 in the last ten Tests I played, and that is not too bad is it? If that is not good enough, then I got to think I am in a pretty tough school. In the past two years, I have been averaging close to 50, actually.

How has the recent spate of controversies affected your game?

Much has been spoken about it and I think there is nothing more to say on the subject. I want to make it clear that I will not talk about those things on this tour.

What do you think is going to be the deciding factor on this tour?

Everyone is talking about spinners making a difference, but I think we must spare a thought for the fast bowlers. Both the sides have some very good fast bowling. Even with Kumble's loss, which is huge for the Indians, I think Ajit Agarkar, Srinath and Zahir Khan will have an impact on the series. And in the final analysis, the fast bowlers on either side will play the deciding role.

What are the other factors at play, as you see them?

I think the home advantage will help the Indians. We aren't very comfortable here. We are pushed out of our comfort zone a bit. The food and other stuff also can get to us after a while. So, it is important to counter all these things and then succeed. That's the real challenge of playing in India.

You have 145 catches against your name -- what is the key to being such a consistently great slip fielder?

It is a combination of natural talent and practice. You have to be born with the natural ability to do any of these things. Some guys are natural catchers while some are great throwers. I think I owe this to my dad. He used to take Steve and me to the backyard and hit tennis balls at us. And trust me, he used to hit them very hard even when we were about three years old.

If you had to pick one catch from your bag as your all time best, which would it be?

The one I held of Alec Stewart at Headingley in 1993 was a personal favourite of mine. The one I held in the World Cup finals against Pakistan looked good too. I think it is tougher to take catches off spinners rather than fast bowlers, with spinners, there is less time to react.

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