Calcutta: At 45, Brad Hogg still does his job well... And in style as well.

In Kolkata Knight Riders' thumping nine-wicket win against the Delhi DareDevils on Sunday, the left-arm spinner played the leading role as he scalped three wickets without conceding too many runs.

For the Australian, it's about having the passion of wanting to play and following a regular fitness regime.

"It's just having the passion of wanting to play... Everyone knows I retired in 2008. I had about two-three years out of the game. Now, to be here and have an opportunity to do what you love, I don't take it for granted.

"I just love it. I still have the passion of a five-year-old kid when I first had that dream of playing for Australia. The game has changed and evolved. It has given a new lease of life to cricket and to me as well.

"I will try and stay healthy as long as I can for the rest of my life. I don't want to be in a hospital when I'm 60 with something that I could have avoided. That's probably the main reason why I keep healthy."

Regretting his retirement back in 2008, Hogg credited his new partner for encouraging him to continue playing cricket. "I do regret retiring back in 2008. I had a Test berth for Australia at that stage, but I had some personal issues with family.

"I wish I didn't retire because the marriage did not survive. Luckily, it did not because I met a new partner and she's wonderful.

"It's good to be playing the game with someone who's pushing you to go as far as you want. There's talk about me when I'm going to stop and she just says 'Play as long as you possibly can'. We're going to try to get to 50 like that."

Once Sunil Narine is back, the axe could fall on Hogg. But he's unperturbed. "As individuals, we train hard and want to be on par with each other... But it's a team and I have to fit in.

"If I'm not playing and Narine takes my spot, I still have got to create the energy that I've in the changing room and make sure everyone is up for the challenge."