Heat makes India tough, says England pacer Sajid Mahmood

New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) Having played in India once, England pacer Sajid Mahmood admits that the heat makes the sub-continental nation a tough place to play cricket but goes on to assert that bowling in the far from ideal conditions here have helped him become more consistent.

''India is a very difficult place to play cricket because of the heat and there are no two ways about it. We are not used to the amazingly high temperatures here,'' Sajid told reporters at a media session here, earlier this week.

''But, there is a positive to it as well. I have learnt quite during our last tour here by bowling to the likes of Rahul Dravid, who is obviously a great batsman. Playing here has helped me become more consistent,'' he added.

The pacer said the tracks in India are spin-friendly but he still saw a role for himself in the Champions Trophy and was looking forward to making a mark in the Champions Trophy if selected.

''Spinners have done well for England this summer and I think they will continue to do so here as well because of the nature of the tracks but even pacers will have a role to play and I am confident of contributing to England's success,'' he said.

The pacer, who is aiming to bowl faster, said despite this being a tough summer for England so far, he was confident of a turnaround in fortunes in the Champions Trophy.

''The summer has been pretty tough as far as one-dayers are concerned but we are confident of better results here. As for me, I have been working hard under (Kevin) Shine, Andrew (Flintoff) and (Matthew) Hoggard and hopefully things will go fine for me,'' he said.

Sajid, who has always evoked mixed reactions from crowds in England because of his Pakistani origins, said he has become used to the constant taunts and has learnt to deal with the problem by concentrating on his game.

''Obviously when I play, I get a lot of chants but my focus is that 'I want to do well for my country'. England is my home but I do have my origins from Pakistan and I cannot hide this fact. Now it's upto the crowds to decide whether they want to support me or not. I don't let this thought bother me,'' he said, reacting to queries on the crowd reaction he gets at home.

Speaking about his more famous cousin Olympic Gold medal winning boxer Amir Khan, Sajid said he tried sparring with his brother once but ended up with a black eye.

''Sparring with him! I tried it once mate and the next moment I was out of the ring with a black eye. I have never dared to approach him since,'' he recalled.

UNI PM AY BST1356