With just 157 runs on the board, there weren’t many pleasant faces in the Mumbai Indians dugout. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma later mentioned that he would have fancied a lot more runs on the board than what was displayed on the scoreboard. But, it was a perfect time for the bowling to rise up to the occasion and show their mettle after receiving a lot of flak in the matches gone by. Two bowlers in particular stood up and delivered on the big day. Lasith Malinga finally found his mojo picking up four wickets at the end of the match and giving him good company was young New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan, who ended up with figures of 3 for 20 in his four overs at a miserly economy of just five. Though Malinga took top honours at the end of the day, McClenaghan had a satisfactory smile on his face as he walked back to the dressing room with his head held high. It was an occasion to savour, and a performance he claims would keep him in good stead for the coming games. By his own acceptance, he feels at home with the Mumbai Indians and looks forward to soak in the blue and gold by putting up more meaningful performances for a franchise that has become close to his heart. Here’s McClenaghan in a tell-all with iplt20.com. P.S. He confesses he asked Sachin Tendulkar for a coaching session. Read on.

It must be really satisfying to perform in a must-win situation, isn’t it? It is nice to have a good personal performance but the most pleasing thing about today was seeing how we worked together. You have to bowl well, field well, put pressure and put your body on the line which brings the energy. We worked well together tonight. We were like brothers out there. Hopefully we can continue to do that and keep working together and move forward as a team. Also, today was a special game for all of us. We had close to eighteen thousands kids coming here and to have them here and to watch us perform is very pleasing. Not the best of performances in your first two games, but this performance should keep you in good stead. I feel I bowled great in the first two and a half overs in my first two outings but there were a few decisions that could have gone my way, unfortunately it did not. Now, I am feeling like I am back in the game and understanding my plans better. I am feeling very confident and I am thankful for the faith the owners, Ricky Ponting and the team have had in me. It has put me in good stead to perform like that tonight.

After a string of losses, what was the message passed on in the dressing room by Ricky Ponting? I have a hell lot of interactions with Ricky Ponting about my game. He is very passionate, very competitive and he always wants to win. He pushes us to win every time we walk on that field. Today’s message was just to go out there and give it our all. It was about throwing our body around and showing that you really want to play for this team and win. It was like playing for your brothers out there and that is exactly what we did tonight. The guys are really starting to click. Today was our best effort in our field. We threw ourselves around and got a lot of warmth from the Mumbai crowd. It is good to see the guys playing with that kind of passion and connection. T20 calls for good death bowling skills and you have Lasith Malinga in your side who is considered one of the best on that front. Learning a thing or two bowling with him? Absolutely! Me and Malinga share a lot of bowling plans with each other. We have a thorough bowling meeting with Shane Bond who puts everything out clearly. It is great to be in a room full of bowlers -which has the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Bond and Malinga - who have got so much international experience. They have so much knowledge that they can share that you are always learning and that is what I love about this game and the side.

Tell us a bit more about your association with Shane Bond I have worked with Shane Bond for three years now and I can’t speak more highly of the man. He is so organized in his work and he is someone who is always there when you want someone to talk about stuff. He is a great acquisition to Mumbai Indians and if we get a prolonged period under him, we will learn, evolve and we will get better. Back home would you have conversations with your other New Zealand teammates about the IPL? You have Corey Anderson for company here. (Laughs) It is like a little Kiwi club out there. They have these stories to talk about IPL back home and I have always loved watching the guys perform overseas. Now being a part of the IPL I kind of feel a good connect with my New Zealand guys. We are brothers and we spend most of the year together. It has definitely made my transition into the IPL a lot easier knowing that I can talk to those guys about their experiences in the past. Particularly having Corey Anderson in the Mumbai Indians side, who experienced it last year, has been very helpful. Beginning to feel like home with Mumbai Indians? I am enjoying every moment of the IPL. I feel like home with the Mumbai Indians. There are a great bunch of Indian players in the side who have accepted the international players into the group. There is a lot of banter and a lot of fun which keeps us closely knit. The coaching staff too is easily approachable. I am loving it. It is a great environment here with the Mumbai Indians. Hopefully I can move up from here. We are working together as a team and hopefully we can bounce back and produce something like last year.

Have you got a chance to talk to Sachin Tendulkar? (Smiles) I have. I wished him Happy Birthday the other day and asked him if he could give me a coaching session in the nets. I think I might be a little bit too far gone for Sachin’s help. He is a great man. He is good to be around for the young guys like me and guys who have looked up to him throughout their career. He brings a positive vibe to the group.