Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson spoke to espnstar.com in an exclusive interview.

By Pamela Dutta

Q. After a horrifying period before and after the lost Test series, how did you get back to your rhythm?

A. I also did not like the way I played at the home of cricket. Jason Gillespie called me up and said keep your head up. The teammates backed me and I gradually started backing myself. One thing I have learnt is that one has to keep his cool when he is in trouble. I did that and practiced a lot.

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Q. How do you feel after bagging the ICC Cricketer of the Year award?

A. Frankly, I did not expect this award. I was sitting next to Peter Siddle in the dinner and he was constantly telling me that I would get the award. I thought Andrew Strauss, Gautam Gambhir, or Tillakaratne Dilshan would receive the award. Since I did not do the best in the Ashes series, I did not expect it. However, this only tells that my efforts have been rewarded.

Q. Are you enjoying leading the bowling department of Australia?

A. We had a great time in the last twelve months. Personally, I enjoyed my bowling. We have lost quite a good number of established cricketers like Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer. We are trying to organise the bowling department but players like Peter Siddle have come up. We are having great time while bowling for Australia.

Q. Did you expect that Australia would reach the Champions Trophy final?

A. No we did not. We had only one aim before coming here and we though that if could properly display our skills, we will go a long way. We took it match by match and finally we have reached close to the trophy.

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Q. Would you real like to become an all-rounder?

A. I really did well with the bat. I even scored a century. That has given me a lot of confidence and I would like to carry on the same form in the days to come.

Q. What was the greatest moment for Australia in the last year?

A. I think winning the Test series in South Africa gave us a lot of satisfaction. We were looking for the momentum, which we got when we defeated the Proteas.

Q. How do you cope up with the long season?

A. We were little down after losing the Ashes series, but we regrouped ourselves and beat England 6-1 in the ODI series. We did right things on and off the field. Our self belief helped us overcome various obstacles. And that is the reason why we did well so far in the ICC Champions Trophy.

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