Rajasthan Royals’ off-spinner Ajit Chandila says that his match winning four-wicket haul against Pune Warriors India was his best performance so far in cricket. Talking about his hat-trick ball that he bowled to Robin Utthappa, Chandila said, “I have taken a hat-trick before in Twenty20 cricket. So the only thing I was thinking about was to bowl my best ball. Robin Uthappa plays with me for Air India, so I know [his game]. So I thought of tossing it [the ball] up and entice the batsman into a cover drive. My plan was successful.”

He rated Sourav Ganguly’s wicket his favourite of the four. Speaking more about the hat-trick, Chandila told iplt20.com,” It is a dream for every cricketer [to play this well]. I had dream that I should be able to do something on this platform that stands out. [...] The confidence that RR has given me, Rahul [Dravid] bhai and Monty [Desai] [the coach] have given, [has helped me].”

He added, “Narendra Hirwani [former India cricketer], who is like a big brother to me, has taught me a lot. Whenever I have a problem or I am confused [I speak to him]. Today, Rahul bhai asked me to play on this big platform. The situation was such that we had to win the match and I was also under pressure [because] if I have got an opportunity to play in the match, I have to do well for my team. I spoke to him and he gave a lot of confidence.”

Talking about the excellent fielding that Rajasthan displayed on the field on Sunday, the young off-spinner said, “We have good fielding side. It is a part of the game to field well. Johan Botha, who is an extraordinary fielder, motivates us and tells us that if you do something extraordinary on the ground, it will be noticed.”

The Rajasthan bowler also praised Rahul Dravid for showing confidence in him.

“When I signed the contract [with RR], Rahul bhai said to me, “Ajit, if [Johan] Botha rests, then you will play.” That gave me confidence. [...] Botha is the captain of his team in South Africa in Twenty20, and me being asked to play in his place gave a boost to my confidence. The fact that I am being compared to Botha, gave me a lot of confidence.”

Chandila also confidently said that Rajasthan are not overly dependent on Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane. He believes the team is performing well together “It is a team effort. Until we don’t play as a unit [we can’t win]. All the eleven players have to perform their role. Of course, Shane Watson is a good all-rounder and his presence in the team has benefitted us a lot and his performances have helped us win,” he concluded