My performance at the auction has given me confidence: Namma Shivamogga’s R Jonathan

Bengaluru, 22 August 2017: When he went for Rs 5.1 lakh at the Karbonn Smartphones Karnataka Premier League 2017, powered by Cycle Pure Agarbathies, player auction R Jonathan shot to fame. He had first-class caps for Railways, played at state-level for Karnataka, but he still wasn’t expecting to be the costliest Pool B player at the auction.

The batsman, buoyed by the fee, is now hoping to display his value on the field. In this chat, Jonathan speaks of how he views pressure, his preparations for the tournament, and Namma Shivamogga’s chances of lifting the trophy in September.

Excerpts:

You became the costliest Pool B player in the auction last week. Was that something you expected? What was your immediate reaction like?

I never expected that, honestly. I was expecting to be somewhere in the top half, but I was surprised I became the costliest player in Pool B. When I heard the news, I felt really great. It gave me more confidence to deliver. Knowing that a lot of teams wanted me, it shows the value of player I am.

Does the fee put extra pressure on you to perform? How will you cope?

Absolutely no pressure. There is already pressure while you’re on the field. There can’t be more pressure or less pressure.

You’ve played first-class cricket with Railways. How much will that experience help when playing a tournament like KPL?

It will help a lot. I’ve also played for Karnataka in the one-dayers and the T20s. Then I went on to play first-class cricket for Railways. So I’ve played in two different places, two different teams. It toughened me up, because it’s so different. I had to adjust well, in terms of facilities and the culture. I had to adjust my mental aspects, and it made me tougher, more adaptable to different situations. It helped me handle pressure better.

What work did you put in during the off-season?

As professionals, we train and keep ourselves fit because it’s required during the season. We can’t do fitness during the season, there is no time for that. So that’s what I mainly concentrated on. I did a lot of running, I spent a lot of time in the gym. I love playing football as well, so I played it regularly every day.

How do you see your team’s chances in the tournament next month?

We’ve a very well-balanced team. If you see the names on the squad, we don’t have an India player or anything like that. But we have a pretty good team in terms of balance. In cricket, anything can happen. We’ve an experienced team too. It’s going to be an exciting year for us.