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The Rediff Interview/ Dion Nash

'It's going to be a tough tour, but one the guys are going to enjoy'

Dion Nash is one of the few genuine allrounders in international cricket today. Since making his debut for New Zealand in the second Test against Zimbabwe at Harare in 1992-93, the 29-year-old from Auckland has come a long way. A career-threatening back injury in 1996 kept him out of action for two years, but his determination to succeed saw him stage a remarkable comeback last season.

A useful right hand bat and medium fast bowler, Nash has the distinction of being the first player to take 10 wickets in a match and score 50 runs in an innings at Lord's in 1994. He was at his best during the recent World Cup in England and then in the ensuing series against England, which New Zealand won. He is now in India for what he calls a "tough" tour and looking forward to taking on the challenging conditions as also the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Gangully.

Faisal Shariff caught up with the affable cricketer who's even had the opportunity of leading his country - in four one-dayers against India, and three Tests and three one-dayers against South Africa - when Stephen Fleming was sidelined with injury.

What are your expectations during this tour of India?

I'm expecting to carry on the good form that this team had shown in England. Obviously, we had a successful tour there and now we are in completely different conditions and it means that this is a much harder tour. I'm looking for the team to go on and play confidently, and play good cricket and show off our skills and compete against what is a very good Indian side.

Tell us about your past experiences of India.

It's a wonderful country, obviously very different from the land we come from. But at the same time it has its own beauty. For us coming form a land of 3.5 million people to a billion people is quite a change. The heat, the environment, and also the weather and the conditions are so different, so it is a very difficult tour. But at the same time it's a great challenge. It's one that is one of the most exciting tours in world cricket. It's also a very tough Indian side we're up against at the moment. So, you know, it's going to be a very tough tour, but one that the guys are going to enjoy.

What did the series win over England mean to you and the team?

It meant an awful lot. Most cricket nations across the world would love to go to England and win on English soil, the home of cricket. It's nice to go over there and beat them at there own game, so to speak. But I think of each tour these days as the next, and you are as good as your last performance, so to speak. So this is a big tour for us, this one here.

Dion, did you enjoy your stint as captain, when Stephen Flemming sat out due to injury?

I enjoyed it. Of course, it was a new challenge for me and one, which I enjoyed in the one-day arena. I am happy though that Stephen is back in the reins and I can concentrate on my game and add to the team in that way.

Were you anticipating that you would be named captain?

Not really I think. Obviously it was a great honour and one which I took with both hands... and tried to do the best I could, but it's not something I seek out. It's something that comes along its way and it's a bit of a treat, but I think Stephen's doing a great job and he's obviously very young and with a lot of talent. So he'll be doing the job for a long while.

Do you captain your domestic team back home?

Yeah, from time to time. But with so much of international cricket, there is very little domestic cricket we can play.

So, who are the key players in the Indian team you are looking at, in order to get a result in your favour?

Of course, you have the best player in the world in Sachin Tendulkar. Along with him Rahul Dravid, Ganguly. I think Srinath is a fine bowler. So there are some real stars there for sure.

So you think you are starting on the back foot for this series?

Yeah, it has to be. Any team that tours India and says that they are not on the back foot are fooling themselves. This is a very tough tour and conditions are very tough and even if you take those things out of the equation and you still have a very good side. We're up against a very strong batting line-up and some world class bowlers.

As a bowler Dion, what are the toughest aspects of bowling on Indian wickets?

Of course, the wickets are pretty flat. My past experiences have been that they are very dry and very flat. So it takes a lot of effort for not a lot of reward.

And with respect to batting, what do you think will be the key to survive against the Indian bowlers?

I think it will be difficult. We don't know what to expect. Over here, I think it will obviously turn but other than that can't really say, because it's been a long time since I toured here last, almost 3-4 years ago. It takes a while before you get conditioned with India.

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