South Australian Redbacks’ Shaun Tait (from left), Michael Klinger, Darren Berry (coach) and Daniel Christian, in the city, on Saturday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: It’s pretty normal for a fast bowler to be aggressive. But it’s important to control that aggression. And that is what Shaun Tait has learned from his Rajasthan Royals teammate Rahul Dravid.

“I learnt a lot from Rahul… He taught me how to conduct myself on and off the field,” Tait, who is in the city as a part of the South Australian Redbacks squad for the Champions League T20, said.

The Australian said that he used to notice Dravid’s demeanour in the dressing room while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). “Rahul is a great human being, with great knowledge of the game. He is so good in his technique that he can adapt to any format of the game. His recent show in the one-off T20 against England is an evidence of his brilliance. I am happy to have such a great friend in Rahul,” Tait added.

Moving on to his team, the Redbacks, Tait feels that the camaraderie between the players is the USP of the side. “We are here to play good cricket. There is a great camaraderie between the guys. Everyone wants to give their best,” Tait said.

“We lost in the semi-finals last season... This time we want to improve that by two steps.”

The Redbacks, who are considered to be one of the favourites in CLT20, can also cash in on the fact that they have players like captain Michael Klinger and Daniel Christian who have IPL experience. The squad also includes all-rounder Callum Ferguson and spinner Nathan Lyon, who are Cricket Australia contracted players.

But playing in India will be a different ballgame, admits Tait. “The IPL has been a great leveller. Players are now much more aware of the Indian conditions. Still, it is a challenge to perform in India,” he said.

“Although the conditions are difficult for the pacers, it is not impossible to bowl at a decent pace. You have to alter your line and length if a bowler want to succeed in India,” added Tait.

Coach Darren Berry was confident that the team’s preparation had been solid and he expected the team to do well in the tournament.        

“Our preparation has been quite outstanding, but there are some really good sides in this competition,” Berry said. The Redbacks beat New South Wales in February to win Big Bash Twenty20 in the Australia domestic season.        

Also a director of coaching with the Rajasthan Royals, Berry said Tait would be a key to their success.        

“We are happy to have Tait in the side. Tait along with Lasith Malinga and Dale Steyn are three men with x-factor in world pace bowling at the moment. We expect him to do well in Indian conditions.”

They would certainly miss the services of top-order batsman Aiden Blizzard and West Indian big hitter Kieron Pollard, who will play for Mumbai Indians fold.

“We will miss them. But we have Tom Cooper. He is a promising Twenty20 player. Plus Klinger is an experienced campaigner. We have got a balanced side,” the coach said.

Klinger said he was looking forward to having a couple of warm-up games before the real action begins next weekend.

“We are pretty confident we can go over there and give it a good shake, and win the tournament.”