Every time Yusuf Pathan has walked out to bat, there have been questions about his form and match-winning abilities. Many believed the reputation that he had earned of winning matches singlehandedly was lost over the years after a rollercoaster ride with the bat. But there has always been a certain sect – the captain, the team management and his fans – that has backed him to the hilt and has been confident of the ‘match-winning Yusuf’. Tonight against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Yusuf’s match-winning abilities came to the fore yet again. Sent in to bat at No.4, Yusuf showed what he could do if given the liberty to bat with a lot of time at his disposal. He planned his innings, tailored a run-chase and showed that he still had it in him to win matches for his side. The moment KKR had crossed the line, Yusuf celebrated with a fist pump and walked back to the dressing room a satisfied man. With a kind smile and gentle greeting Yusuf spoke about his knock and his much speculated form in the IPL. Excerpts from his interview: Did you always feel you were one match-winning knock away from striking form? I was always confident that I would get my A game to the fore very soon. Tonight, I got my chance – the situation was perfect and it is heartening to put up a match-winning performance for my side. Tonight, we needed to win the game and I am glad I could do my bit of helping my team cross the line. Sent in to bat at No.4 in a run-chase; did that responsibility put you under any kind of pressure? I was certain that if I get to bat at the top of the innings and face more deliveries, I will help my team win. It is a great position to bat at since I get a chance to plan my innings and assess the situation better. I agree that it was a tough situation when I walked out to bat, but it feels good to have come up trumps at the end of it. I have been winning matches for my side all these years, which is the reason why people like me. You spoke about people liking you; does that affect your game in any way? Do the expectations that people have from you help you perform better? It is a great feeling to know that the crowd believes in my abilities every time I walk out to bat. The reason they believe in me and want me to do well is because of the things I have done in the past. There have been situations in the past when I have singlehandedly won matches for the team, which has been the reason why people have faith in me. They want me to win every match and score big every time I bat, which is not possible since the situations and conditions are different from time to time. I like the fact that the people and team management have expectations from me of winning matches. It is their love and support that keeps me going at times when I am low on confidence. Would you like to bat at No.4 in the rest of the matches as well? My batting position depends on the team and the captain. It depends how my captain wants to use me during a situation of the game. I got a chance at No.4 tonight and it paid off. I am always ready to bat where the team wants me to bat, as long as the result is in our favour. When you are not getting runs, people say that you are out of form and low on confidence. Were you ever low on confidence or out of form, Yusuf? I was never low on confidence. There were times when I was sent in to bat when there were just two or three overs to spare. At that time, if I fail to score, everyone gets a feeling that I am low on confidence and out of form. I have always had tremendous self-belief and knew I will be getting my runs soon. I had a good domestic season with the bat and won a lot of matches there as well. I was spending a lot of time in the middle, which helped me get in good touch. The domestic season kept me in a positive frame of mind for the IPL and it was always a matter of time that I got going in the IPL. Till the time you feel that you have a good bat speed and you are hitting the ball well, there is nothing to worry. I was just waiting for an opportunity where I could show that the match-winner in me was still alive, and tonight, it was on display.