Our lengthy road trip hasn't begun the way we would have liked it to but the mood in the camp is still upbeat despite the two defeats to Mumbai and Rajasthan. While we were outplayed in Mumbai, we were a touch unfortunate against Rajasthan. We put up a competitive total but it remained a good batting wicket right through, although Rajasthan deserve credit for reading the conditions well.
The quest for our first away win continues and we should get it against the Pune Warriors today, but it would be a mistake to go into the game with that kind of thinking.
There is always an air of unpredictability about a 'bottom-of-the-table' side, and I'm sure Pune would love to make a statement that they don't deserve to be where they are, which is all the more reason why we can't afford to be complacent.
Scorching run
I don't like devoting attention to what other teams are doing but it's hard to escape the fact that Chennai are on a sparkling run. They've won the tournament twice, lost in the final on two other occasions and have grown very familiar with what it's like to be in the top four. So they have a lot of experience and MS Dhoni has also been leading from the front.
Speaking of good leaders, you'd have to look hard to find someone who fits that description better than Virat Kohli. Viv Richards was right about Virat's aggression and passion, which you see a lot of on the field, but you see a different side of him off the field. He's very easy to get along with, and as a captain, he expresses himself well and is straightforward. That's the sort of guy you want to be around with and I'm happy to be sharing the dressing room with him .
{{/usCountry}}Speaking of good leaders, you'd have to look hard to find someone who fits that description better than Virat Kohli. Viv Richards was right about Virat's aggression and passion, which you see a lot of on the field, but you see a different side of him off the field. He's very easy to get along with, and as a captain, he expresses himself well and is straightforward. That's the sort of guy you want to be around with and I'm happy to be sharing the dressing room with him .
{{/usCountry}}It was interesting to hear Shane Watson back Virat to have a crack at eclipsing my 175 not out. While I don't deny Virat is more than capable of doing so on his day, I think Shane was being modest, because if I had to bet on someone breaking my record, it would have to be him.
PMG
The writer is RCB opener