Hyderabad: Harbhajan Singh didn’t win a single MoM award in the just-ended ODI series against Sri Lanka, but his contribution was as significant as anybody else’s. It was only in the last match, in Vadodara, that he conceded in excess of 40 runs ? remarkable by any yardstick. Our most successful off-spinner spoke to The Telegraph for around half an hour in the lead-up to the latest series (versus South Africa).

The following are excerpts

Q We’re well into another season. What were your thoughts on the eve of the tri-series in Sri Lanka, which launched 2005-06?

A That the team and I should begin well... The thoughts this time weren’t any different from what I feel before the start of any season.

The start wasn’t good, though...

Don’t forget we had quite a few newcomers ? during the tri-series’, both in Lanka and in Zimbabwe... My own view is that teams and players must not be judged just by the results. Jeetna sab kuch nahin hota, the manner of playing is also important. I accept we lost in both finals, but the effort at the start of the season bore fruit against the Lankans.

Isn’t momentum a big factor?

It helps and, hopefully, the momentum will be maintained.

How long did it take you to find your rhythm?

Actually, my stint with Surrey helped. I bowled well in England and continued in much the same manner in Lanka... I didn’t get many wickets, but I don’t judge myself and other bowlers purely by the number of wickets taken. It’s another matter that the opinion of people is driven entirely by that.

Well, Rahul Dravid thinks differently and equated your none for 30 in Jaipur with Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s unbeaten 183 there...

(Smiles) I suppose any bowler who concedes 30 in a total of 298 is going to get some recognition. A performance counts only when it helps the team win. I mean, even a three for 30 will be meaningless if the result is otherwise.

You’ve been trying new angles... Bowling from both sides of the wicket... Seems a consci-ous effort?

I’ve made small adjustments, otherwise batsmen are going to find me predictable... Talking from experience, I know that even a minor change in the angle can make a big difference... I’ve taken it up as a challenge to ‘tease’ batsmen and have been enjoying the experiments.

Is there a fear they could go wrong?

Aap ko confident rehna ho ga... Nothing works if you think negatively and are worried about being hit for a boundary. I’m not saying anything new, but cricket remains a game of confidence. You’ve got to back yourself... (After a pause) Nowadays, at nets, I bowl a lot at a single stump... It has been very helpful.

Do records matter?

People talk about them... For me, a record won’t have value if it hasn’t helped the team.

Today, the dressing room has a number of youngsters. What were your thoughts when you first entered, in early 1998?

I was happy, but dazed as well... Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble... I was right next to them... For a while, I couldn’t believe that everything had happened so fast... That I was in the India dressing room at the age of 17...

What do you tell the newcomers?

That India ke liye khelna bahut badi baat hoti hai and that nobody should feel out of place. It’s the responsibility of seniors to make the newcomers comfortable.

How are they to cope with all the attention?

(Grins) They’ve got to remember that it’s the Media which places somebody on a pedestal and, then, knocks him/her off... They’ve got to remember that nothing is more important than the game itself and they’ve got to strike a balance between the professional and purely personal life. Performance takes care of everything.

Given what happened immediately after the tour of Zimbabwe, you must surely have been under pressure before the last series?

It’s always there... However, I don’t add to it myself... People may say what they like, but if I’m good enough, I’ll be able to handle the pressure... If I can’t, I won’t play. Bottomline is confidence and sochne ka dhang. If you think negatively, that’s how life is going to unfold.

You got involved in the Sourav Ganguly-Greg Chappell row... Having taken Sourav’s side, did you feel uneasy about working with Chappell?

Look, there are differences in every family and I’ve never seen myself as not being part of the family which is Team India... Differences, of course, can be sorted out... (After a pause) At no time, though, did I feel my career was in jeopardy... I want the team to win; the captain and coach, too. Once the goal is common, everything falls in place. Cricket le ke koi tension nahin tha...

So, there was tension outside cricket...

It’s a closed chapter.

Were there awkward moments when you met Chappell in Mohali (during the Challenger) for the first time after his spat with Sourav?

No... I’d decided that what was said and done was past... That we had to move on, that the team’s interest was supreme.

Did you expect Lanka to play the way they did?

But, we didn’t allow them to play any better... We put them under pressure early on and that paid off handsomely. The start in Nagpur, when we totalled 350 for six, set the tone.

Looking back, will Sachin’s 93 (in Nagpur) be remembered as the No. 1 defining moment?

One, certainly... More than the runs he scores, Sachin’s presence lifts the team’s confidence.

How different are the South Africans going to be?

Every team is different... The Lankans came as No. 2 and got routed... Now, the South Africans are No. 2... Let’s see what happens over the next fortnight.

The tour of Pakistan is still some weeks away, but given the passion it will generate, have you begun thinking about it?

Not yet... But, yes, having missed the last tour (March-April 2004) owing to surgery, I’m looking forward to it... It’s early to make a prediction, but I expect tight finishes ? both in Tests and ODIs.

Isn’t the pressure more on the home team?

(Laughs) In Indo-Pak clashes, the pressure is on both teams... Generally, however, the pressure is more on the host.

Your finest moment...

My comeback series versus Australia, in 2000-01... The hattrick (at the Eden) and 32 wickets in the three Tests... I’m grateful to God.

Is there a formula for consistency?

Consistently playing to potential, what else?

The final question: Is there one spinner whom you admire more than the others?

Shane Warne... You just need to look at his tiger-like eyes to sense his intensity... His determination... Uski aakhen baat karti hain... The way Shane thinks and applies pressure is, to my mind, amazing. I would love to be an achiever in the Shane Warne mould. (After a pause) I admire Anilbhai and Murali as well.