Bangalore Royal Challengers' Wasim Jaffer spoke to espnstar.com's Chandraboli Mitra on his team's chances in the IPL.

Q. Do you think IPL will be a great stage for you to showcase your talent?

A. In the last edition of the IPL, we saw so many players benefitting from the tournament and making a foray into the national team.

Not just Indian players, international players gained a lot from the IPL too. There is no doubt that you get noticed at the IPL. It is a big stage where even the international audiences see your performance.

So, if I am able to do well, I am sure I can push my cause for India’s one-day team at least. I am looking forward to playing well in the upcoming IPL.

Q. You are a player of a classical mode – your style of play is suited more to Test cricket. How are preparing yourself to adapt to the Twenty20 format?

A. As I have played a few Twenty20 matches, I already know the format and I am aware of how to go about it. In this shorter version of the game, you hardly get time to adjust.

So, you got to be very aggressive and should have the intent of scoring runs qucikly. The key is to adapt to the conditions as soon as possible. I am looking forward to doing just that. The sooner I can get into rhythm, the better it would be good for me. But a lot also depends on which position a particular player is batting in the order. A number of things change according to the position you come in to bat during the match and also the situation your team is in at that point.

Q. How do you think your experience of playing in South Africa in 2006 will help you?

A. Definitely, the conditions are going to be a lot different in South Africa as compared to here in India. Certainly the bounce is going to be more over there. So, I think the first 10 days would be crucial. I assume, at least 10-12 days would be needed to adjust to the conditions and the pitches there. And then according to the situation, I will start preparing myself and look to play my natural game under the given conditions.

The fact that I have toured South Africa in 2006 would surely come in handy. There are a lot of youngsters in the team, who would be touring the country for the first time so I may be able to help them out as well with my experience.

Moreover, I am looking forward to learn and derive maximum from the South African players, who are a part of our team.

Q. What is your take on the shift of IPL to South Africa? Will you miss the crowd support?

A. Playing in India and South Africa are totally different. Undoubtedly, we will miss the crowd support. However, there is a considerable number of Indians in South Africa so we are hoping to get a good crowd support there as well, even though playing in an away ground will be different. But the good thing is that at least the IPL is taking place. Elections are the most important thing in the country and under the present circumstances this is the best solution. IPL will be back in the country next year again in any case.

Q. Do you think the change in captaincy may create some problems in the team?

A. I don’t think so. Although there is no doubt that Rahul Dravid has seen me more but I have played against KP (Kevin Pietersen) also and he knows me. Moreover, we are going to have a camp before the matches start. So, a lot will depend on that. The final playing XI will be picked on the basis of the practice sessions that we are going to have as a team in South Africa. I will give my best and then obviously it will be up to the captain and the coach to pick the team ultimately.

Q. With team owners around, the accountability factor has increased in cricket. Do you think that puts a player under severe pressure?

A. Playing cricket always involves pressure in any case. When you are playing for your state, there is pressure. Similarly, when you are playing for your country, obviously, you feel the pressure even more. With the franchisees, there is so much money at stake that there has be some pressure. You need to perform to justify the money you are getting. Hence, the pressure is obviously more. The key is to cope with that pressure. The better you handle the pressure, the better you do on the field.

Q. What are the Bangalore Royal Challengers doing differently to get a better result this year?

A. I think the management is already working towards it. I am sure they had something in mind as they changed the skipper. But I would say that despite us not doing too well last year, they have been really patient with us. I am sure this time the captain, coach and the management will sit down and sort out things. But as players, we will give our best and try to rectify the mistakes we made during the last season. The result at the end of the day is not in our hands but we will give our 100 per cent.