Malinga thrilled to be playing for Mumbai Indians

Kolkata: Lasith Malinga disappeared from the international cricket scene following a mysterious injury. But now he is back, without the striking hairstyle, playing for the Mumbai Indians in the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa - and taking wickets regularly.

He spoke to Gulf News over the telephone.

Gulf News: Is it true that Sachin Tendulkar went to great lengths to sign you?

Malinga: Yeah, what more can I ask for? I have always been an admirer of Sachin Tendulkar. Not only me, I think our generation of cricketers have the same feeling for him. I have been playing cricket for the last seven to eight years and I have been a true fan of him.

So, you were happy to sign for the Mumbai Indians.

Definitely. Mumbai is my favourite city and Sachin is treated [very well] there. So, I accepted the offer readily to play for the Mumbai Indians.

According to you, who are the most dangerous batsmen to bowl at?

Obviously, our two openers are the most dangerous - not because they are in my team. Sachin and Sanath have tremendous records that speak for themselves. Other than them, Sehwag, Gibbs, Gayle and Gilchrist too are capable of taking the game away from you. It is really difficult to bowl at Gayle and Sehwag, when they are on song.

You have a different type of bowling action a 'sling-arm'.

I am comfortable with what I have. Actually, I noticed early on that my action makes the batsman a little bit uncomfortable. So, I did not find it necessary to change it. And I am happy to bowl like that.

Previously, you had bowled at around 155 kilometres per hour. Nowadays, however, you seem to have slowed a bit.

I can bowl at 155 kilometres per hour, even now. But I now prefer to bowl in the range of 140-150 kilometres per hour. I love to bowl it fast, really fast. But the line and length are more important to bowl better and I am trying to do so. But when sheer speed is needed, I shall definitely bowl at that speed.

You were injured and had to skip the first edition of the IPL in India. Are you wary of going flat out now as a result of that experience?

No, no, that's not the case. I am doing the same things that I did before being injured. Another thing is, I do not think much about it now.

Can you remember how you picked up the injury?

I really cannot remember. The only thing I know is, one fine morning, when I got out of bed, I had pain from my knee and a little swelling there. We were playing against Australia in a one-day series at the time. The doctors had a look at it and tried their best to ensure a speedy recovery. But I was out of cricket for 10 months after that.