Abu Dhabi One of the reasons behind the longevity of South Africa’s legendary allrounder Jacques Kallis in international cricket is his commitment to the game.
He joined his Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday and wasted no time in sweating it out in the nets. He was the first to go in and the last one to come out after practice.
“The last game that I played was my last Test match. I have had plenty of nets and bowled in Cape Town and I’m hitting the ball as well as I have. I’m happy with my game at the moment,” said Kallis, who has 2276 runs from the 90 IPL matches he has played so far.
“It is all about putting the hard work in. Obviously, I spent a bit of time batting on South African surfaces. So it is just a matter of getting used to the slower, lower surfaces here. I feel pretty good. I have put in a lot time in the gym and the nets so, as far as fitness wise and mental wise I’m in good a space as I’ve ever been,” added Kallis, who revealed that retirement has allowed him to spend more time with his family.
“I took a complete break. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did a couple of things I enjoy doing and spending a bit of time with people I haven’t been able to spend and putting in a bit of time with my foundation. It has been nice spending some time with the kids and I’m just getting to know them a little bit better and I’m still looking forward to spending a bit more time in the future,” said the 38-yr-old.
The veteran is also well-versed with the conditions here in the UAE, having played for Proteas against Pakistan last year. “The conditions are similar to what they are in India. So it is pretty much the sub-continental lengths and from a batting point of view, it is like batting in the sub-continent. The temperature is actually not that hot at the moment. It is pleasant which is nice. All in all, the conditions are going to pretty decent for playing,” said Kallis, who is pleased with the new KKR team combination.
“We are a nice side. I think we are well-balanced. We can play on all types of wickets. We have some good quick bowlers, some really good spinners. From the batting point of view, we have guys who can hold the innings together and we have guys who can hit it out of the park. So, from the balance point of view, we are probably better than we were over the last three years. I think we have more options.”
He also backed KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir to do well. “Gambhir is massively experienced. He knows his team pretty well as well. And the guys know what he expects from the team. He leads from the front and expects a lot from the guys and I’ve been very impressed by the way he has captained the side.”
When asked whether he sees his role as an allrounder, Kallis said: “Most definitely. I’m still working hard on the bowling side of it. I enjoy doing both. I can’t see myself ever playing this game just as a batter. It will be a sad day if it does happen.”
