Easier to win IPL, harder to defend it: Dwayne Bravo | Cricket News

MUMBAI: MUMBAI: Few have ruled the world of T20 cricket as much as Dwayne Bravo. Playing for numerous teams around the globe as a T20 freelancer, the former West Indies captain has taken an astonishing 571 wickets at 24.17, while also scoring 6,747 runs at an average of 23.50.
Though he bid adieu to international cricket last year, at 38, Bravo is showing no signs of slowing down. As he launches into another season with the Chennai Super Kings, the veteran allrounder, who’s also a passionate singer, shares his thoughts in an exclusive interview with TOI.
Excerpts from an interview…
Ravindra Jadeja is the new CSK captain. Your first reaction…
I’m very happy for Jaddu. He’s at the peak of his career. We’re all very happy for him. He deserves it. He’s a bright choice to take over from MS (Dhoni). We’re going to support him 100%. We’re going to make sure that he will be a successful leader.

Can you talk about your latest single titled ‘Number One,’ which is releasing today?
Some people see it as a follow up to the ‘Champion’ number, but for me, I recorded the song a while back (a few years ago). To be honest, I just always wanted to wait for the right moment and opportunity to release it. I’m a big believer that whenever I put out a song, it must be inspirational and have some meaning behind it, so that my fans can relate to it. So, I encourage people to be their own ‘Champions.’ I encourage people to not give up. I know ‘Number One’ is basically on the same lines that everyone dreams should be ‘Number One.’ No matter what field you’re in, you should aim to be the number one.
571 wickets in 522 T20s, what makes you so successful and long-lasting in this format?
I think what makes me last so long over the years is my passion for the game and the pride that I have in my performance and self-value on my fitness and how I perform. So every year I’m still looking to reinvent and add different skills to my game. The key is keeping myself fit. I still enjoy competing and playing the game, and my passion and desire is still there.

How long do you see yourself playing cricket?
I don’t know. I will allow my body to dictate it. As long as I am fit and enjoying it, I’ll play for as long as possible. If I think that the hunger is gone and I’m not able to do the things or enjoy myself then I will walk away, but there is no time frame as such.
You have played under MS Dhoni at CSK for almost a decade. Could you describe your relationship with him?
It’s a very solid one. It’s a bond that we developed over the years and every year it keeps getting stronger and stronger. He’s someone that I can safely say had a big impact on my career as a player, as a captain and a person in general. I think I am lucky enough to represent CSK, which is one of the most successful franchises in T20 history. To play for this team for so long and have my own personal success, but also to have the trust of one of the greatest leaders to ever play the game… he always tried to make sure that I’m a part of this team, is a great feeling for me.
Can CSK defend its title this time around?
Well, we always try to put everything in a match. Whenever we win the trophy, we try to defend it. The IPL is the toughest T20 tournament in the world, and it’s always a challenge to defend our title. It’s easier to win it, but harder to defend it. I think we have the right squad. We have a good balance again. We have good experienced and young players in the mix. So, we’ll do everything to defend the title. But, like I said before, it’s always a harder thing to do in defending. We’ll give it our best.

CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was the highest run-scorer in the competition last year. He seems to be a future star. What’s special about him?
He’s definitely a future star and someone who will have a very successful future for India cricket in all formats of the game. I look forward to the day when he will finally get the opportunity to play in all the formats for India. At CSK, we keep encouraging him. He’s the superstar of our team. I think he’s also very hungry for success, and he’s determined to follow up on his last season’s fine show. So, this is going to be another good season for him.
You play in so many T20 competitions and for various teams around the world. Where do you rate the IPL? How is CSK special from the others?
I think you see a lot of talks from different people around the world where they always try to compare their leagues with the IPL. But the reality is that the IPL is in a league of its own. I don’t think there’s any league which is competition to the IPL because you have the best of the Indian players (playing in it) and then the rest of the world is coming here too. In the other leagues, some players stay away, and some players aren’t available, but in IPL, everyone is available.
So the fact that people actually try to compare other leagues with the IPL is ridiculous. The IPL is hands down in a league of its own. Talking about CSK, we’ve shown our dominance over the years in this format. I think CSK and MI are the most successful franchises. CSK is a team that is well followed, loved by most and we just keep it simple and we are like a family.

Will you and the other CSK players miss the vibe and support of the Chennai crowd this time?
Yes, Chepauk is a special place for us, and we’ll definitely miss the fun of playing there. I believe we have the most loyal fans even when we don’t play in Chennai and play outside at different places. They see our yellow shirts and fans come out to support us. So, we do miss playing at home in Chennai. Hopefully, next season, or whenever, we get an opportunity to play in front of our fans again. But our fans are always with us in spirit.
In an era where aggression is the buzzword in sport, you appear so jovial on the field, and start dancing to entertain the crowd whenever you pick up a wicket or take a catch. Is this a West Indian thing or just your personality?
I would say it is a bit of both, being from the Caribbean, we see the lighter side of life, trying to entertain and enjoy life on and off the field, as this is part of our work culture. We try to express ourselves in a way that the fans will enjoy. That is the type of individual I am. I am a very happy-go-lucky kind of a person. My character is like that. I always play with a smile on my face, so whenever someone comes to see cricket or see me play, they should be entertained and that’s what I do. I’m an entertainer.
During the course of your long career, there have been accusations that players like you prioritized IPL over international cricket. How do you respond to that?
That can never be true, because the IPL has a window of its own. There’s no way players will skip international duty for it. Only a few countries play cricket when the IPL is on. So the IPL has its own window. It’s a time when the players are free for just this league.
West Indies didn’t do well in the last year’s T20 World Cup. What went wrong? Will the team do better in this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia?
I can’t say what went wrong. If I could say what went wrong, then I would have been able to solve the problem! These things do happen in tournaments. Not every time do you have a good tournament, or expect to win. Like whenever there is the football World Cup, everyone expects Brazil to win and it doesn’t happen. Sometimes, life does not allow the reality of things to happen and it is unexpected. NO one expected India to be knocked out in the first round also and it happened. Its life. We have to live with it and everyone has to prepare for the next World Cup.
You have been one of the most successful all-rounders in world cricket. Who do you think is the best all-rounder in the game now?
These questions are always difficult to answer because everyone is different in their own way. They are different type of all-rounders. There are batting all-rounders and bowling all-rounders. When you look at batting all-rounders, you have Mitch (Mitchell) Marsh, who’s having actually a good impact at the moment. (Kieron) Pollard and (Andre) Russell are in a league of their own. We have Hardik Pandya coming back from injury and he’s started bowling now. Then we have Jason Holder and we have young West Indian all-rounders Sherfane (Rutherford) and Odean Smith. There’s Sam Curran, who is currently injured. So there are good all-rounders around. So we can’t say this one is best, or that one is the best. They all have their strong points.
You were amongst the first ones in international cricket who mastered the art of bowling the slower ball, especially in the death overs. Presently, which bowler uses it well at backend?
Harshal Patel definitely. You saw the impact he had in the last IPL for RCB. The success he had with his slower ball.. he’s a very, very dangerous bowler at the backend. That’s the beauty of bowling at the death, when you’ve all these different deliveries and knowing when to bowl it, and how to execute it. (Jasprit) Bumrah, Mustafizur (Rahman) have a good slow ball. These are some of the best guys (who use the slower ball). So many bowlers in world cricket now use variations because you come up against quality batsmen. Death bowling is difficult and you need variations.