Bravo learns from the masters

It's hard to believe. For eight months the man who dives around the cricket field with that signature infectious enthusiasm didn't bowl a ball or bat. Dwayne Bravo says even he didn't know the ankle injury which put his cricket into suspension would take so long to heal. It was tough.

"It played on my mind a lot. There was some fear, yes. The scheduled recovery period was four or five months. But the people involved in my recovery made me realise that there was no use coming back early and getting injured again. I am glad I listened to them. The intent was to get the ankle fully fit and stronger. There is no pain now."

A friendship with Brian Lara helped as well. "He was in touch throughout, encouraging me to just concentrate on rehab properly and not worry," says Bravo.

The impact of Lara is just not off the field. You can see it in the way Bravo plays the pull shot. The front leg goes up, the weight is transferred back and the bat comes gracefully under the ball. You can see the Lara imprint. When you nudge Bravo about its origin, he is only too happy to acknowledge the source. "Just not the pull shot, most of my shots are copied from him!"

The one thing he has failed to copy well is Lara's temperament. Bravo has been guilty of making pretty-looking 30s and getting out in international cricket. He pleads guilty of that count too. "I would agree with that criticism. For those eight months, I have had lot of time to think about where I want my career to go. I definitely want to make up for those [mistakes]."

Why does he think it kept happening though? Was it lack of concentration? Or did he get caught up in the crowd's appreciation and wanted to continue playing too many shots? "Sometimes the shot selection wasn't great, some times it was bad decisions by me and other times, I used to bat after a long bowling spell and felt tired," he says. "That's why I am working very hard on my fitness now. I want to play well and for long, contribute to my team's success consistently."

He has started the work in the IPL. An important player for the Mumbai team, he is busy plotting even against his former team-mates like Chris Gayle. "I did tell the team where to bowl and where not to bowl to him", he says with a laugh. "It might backfire in the long run! But hey you have to do it. I learn about others as well. IPL has been great in that way. These are the players you are playing against, and now you get to know them better."

One person Bravo has been getting to know well is Sachin Tendulkar. "We have had long chats. He has passed me tips on improving my batting and on to continue to believe in myself." What's the biggest thing he's picked up so far? "He told me that whenever I feel I am under pressure in match situations; learn to remember that I have more time than I think I have. I feel really lucky that I have shared dressing rooms with the two of the greatest players, Lara and Tendulkar."

And who has been more inspirational? "Lara of course," comes Bravo's reply with a laugh. "He is from the same village as me and I grew up watching him."

Bravo reckons his Mumbai team can go all the way. "We have a very balanced team, a good coaching staff and a good leader. We just have to execute our plans; we have a very good chance to win this."

If they do, he will surely enjoy the ride back home even more than the last time. That was the highlight from off the field action for him - his IPL moment. "I flew back in one of [team owner Mukesh] Ambani's private jets. That was cool!"