Hardik Pandya is confident in what skills he has: Mitchell McClenaghan

While seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee continue to share the burden of New Zealand’s bowling attack, limited-overs specialist left-armer Mitchell McClenaghan has opted to not take up the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) contract in order to play the T20 leagues around the world. When not playing T20s, the Mumbai Indians pacer has invested in behindtheseams.tv, an online channel for interviewing cricket players globally. In Mumbai recently to interview his MI team-mates for the channel, the 31-year-old tells G Krishnan in this exclusive chat that he stands by his decision to relinquish Black Caps contract. Excerpts:

You decided not to sign the Black Caps contract. You said it was the hardest decision of your career. Do you stand by it?

Of course I stand by my decision. I'm still available for NZC when I'm not playing T20 tournaments, like now as the SA tournament has fallen over. The only regret is stepping away from the financial security of a NZC contract. The positive is that I have control of my own career.

Will you miss playing internationals for New Zealand?

Of course, if I'm not picked when available and am performing, then I will definitely miss playing for New Zealand.

NZ coach Mike Hesson said after arriving in India that he respected your decision, while also adding that you were welcome to play for New Zealand whenever you wanted to. How tempting is it to go back and wear your national colours?

Mike was the first to float the idea with me upon my review in Cardiff after the Champions Trophy (2017) and said that the likes of myself and a few others may want to look at the opportunities as not everyone can be contracted and get a good contract. He also said that when available and if in form/ranked high in that format, I (and others) could still be picked for NZ. We will have to wait and see if this holds true.

You played all your international cricket for New Zealand in the limited-overs. Were you happy only to be playing limited-overs?

I was picked on the back of four-day wickets and had hardly played short format. It's just how the cards ended up playing. Two-Test tours and no games was definitely disappointing but I have no regrets. I have, and always will if called upon, given everything for my country regardless of the format.

You opted to play T20 leagues around the world. Players from South Africa prefer the Kolpak contracts over national colours. What is the prime reason for such deflections? How attractive is the money?

It's a contractual value thing. I don't play Test cricket, so I'm not as valued highly in national contracts because we have double weighting towards Test cricket. I can be in the top five T20 players and top 15 ODI players. However, I barely scrape into the top 20 players in the country when it comes to contracts. Personally, my skill set it appreciated considerably more by franchises around the world than I am back home, which is a big part of feeling comfortable in a set up and performing at your best.

How do you look at the three-match ODI and T20I series between India and the Kiwis?

It so happened that New Zealand ran India close last year in the 5-match ODI series, losing 2-3. I think the side looks considerably more balanced. It will take some time for (Colin) Munro to get the confidence at the top. However, he is class and hope he gets an extended run. He's a far better batsmen than we saw in Game 1 (Wankhede) and I'm sure we will see that soon. (Tom) Latham at No. 5 adds stability and poise to the middle order with a player who times the ball well and accumulates with easy with the field out. (Trent) Boulty is looking sharp and Mitch Santner has started well and will be key in the fixtures to come.

Who do you think can challenge the Indian batsmen the most?

Boult and Santner are key. Boult will be key to making inroads at the top and Santner to do the damage in the middle to stop the amazing finishing ability of (MS) Dhoni and (Hardik) Pandya.

How much has Santner evolved and what should he be doing to click in India?

He's a spinner with no front arm, so it's easier for him to hone in on that tough back-of-a-length in Indian conditions. He also puts some serious work on the ball which will bring reward in Indian conditions. I guess, as a NZ fan, we are all really waiting and hoping for Mitch to fire with the bat. He is a serious striker of the ball and could be a consistent match-winner in the future.

Pandya has been a revelation over the last year or so. You have watched him closely from the MI dressing room. How have you seen him progress from an IPL cricketer to one who is being talked about as a potential leading all-rounder?

He is just confident in what skills he has and is a fearless striker of the ball. His bowling has come on as well and a good opening bowling option if the match up is right with his skiddy outswing.

You have had fair success in limited-overs for New Zealand and in IPL. What is the key to succeed as a bowler in limited-overs?

A very short memory! (laughs) You need to be able to move past the previous delivery as quickly as possible and focus on the next ball. Planning pre-game is also critical with the fielding restrictions and the class of batsman you are up against. You need to find an edge through scouting.

Captain Kane Williamson comes across as a soft person. He is among the premier batsmen in the world and leads New Zealand in all formats, just like Virat Kohli. Do you think he has the same kind of aggression that Kohli has?

They are different people and personalities. You have to admire Kohli's passion and commitment to the jersey and his ability to lead from the front. Kane also leads from the front, however he focuses more on trying to keep players calm and methodical in their game plans and the way they go about their execution. Both have great attributes which make them the best at what they do.

How do you think the series will go in terms of head-to-head clash between Williamson and Kohli, both as batsmen and as captains?

At the end of the day, I know Kane won't be singling out Virat and vice-versa. Everyone internationally seems to be past looking at individual battles and more about what they can do for their team to contribute to winning.

You have often been interviewed as a cricketer. How has the experience of being at the other end of the microphone, the interviewer, been for behindtheseams.tv?

It has been nerve-wracking, however very enjoyable. I've had a lot of fun with some good mates who I've played a lot of cricket with and learnt a lot about them as cricketers and also people.