da bwin： Younis Khan’s place in the team was in doubt after his woeful performance at Mohali
Anand Vasu in Kolkata17-Mar-2005
Younis Khan had every reason to be satisfied after his superb century at Kolkata© Getty Images
On whether he was under pressure coming into this game
There is no doubt I was under pressure coming into this game. Thatpressure had nothing to do with being made the vice-captain. Afterall, I am only the deputy, and I am not even sure if a captain isunder pressure because he is leading the side. There was pressurebecause I didn’t bat well or catch and field well in the first Test. Ijust decided to go out with a positive outlook. I wanted to enjoymyself out in the middle, and so I courted success today – as simpleas that.On being backed by his team
That’s what pleased and touched me no end. Everyone in the team backedme, and a day before the Test here, Inzamam sat me down and had a longchat. I appreciate everything the team did for me, and in return, Iwanted to make sure that I did not let them down. That I have managedto repay them for the faith they showed in me is my most importantachievement today.On whether he has made any technical changes from Mohali tonow
A little bit, nothing too much. I am the same Younis who played thefirst Test. A lot of people have said in the past that I bat veryslowly, but I have always played positively. In this innings, I wantedto bat out the whole day, wanted to spend time in the middle, and atthe end of the day, that helped.On running singles with Youhana
Yousuf and I are not like Sehwag or Afridi who can blast the bowlersaround. We look for singles all the time. Afridi got us off to a greatstart today, and we kept looking for singles even if we played goodballs in the gap, so the run-rate was up right through. We just madesure we carried on from where Afridi’s short knock put us.On whether Pakistan are on top
It’s a little too early for that. We have had only two days’ play, andeverything will depend on how things go tomorrow. If we can bat outthe whole day and snatch a lead of between 150 and 200, we willdefinitely be well placed. At the moment, though, it is 50-50.