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NEW DELHI: The South Africa tour dispelled some myths about Yusuf Pathan. Yes, he can score outside the subcontinent too, and he can play the short ball as well. In a freewheeling chat with TOI, Yusuf provided insights into his approach to batting, Team India's confidence levels ahead of the World Cup and how younger brother Irfan always believed Yusuf could score runs outside India. Excerpts:

You almost won the ODI series for India:

I wish I could have won the last match. I was confident that we had the team to beat the South Africans but somehow it didn't happen. But we have shown tremendous signs of progress in this series. Compared to the last couple of series we have played in South Africa, this was by far our best performance. An ODI series win would have been the perfect icing on the cake, but now we don't have time to think about what could have been. We have to move ahead and think about the World Cup. We are pleased with the way we fought in the series and now we hope to play in a similar fashion in the World Cup.

You've surprised many cricket pundits with your batting exploits on bouncy SA pitches:

Irfan always told me that with my kind of batting style, I could do well outside India. So, the confidence was there, thanks to my brother. Even when I was in and out of the Indian team, my family and brother stood by me. I like to fight and never give up till the last ball.

What about the team's performance in the absence of some big batsmen?

In South Africa, we didn't have the regular top three. When the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir return, our confidence levels will be higher. But without them, we still fought well against a top team in their home conditions. We all worked hard in our individual capacity. But the biggest input we got was from coach Gary Kirsten. He knows the conditions very well and that turned out to be of great help. The team management devised a lot of strategies and we stuck by them.

You seem to have made a habit of showcasing your skills when chips are down:

I've batted on several occasions in similar situations for my domestic and IPL teams. I've even won matches from losing positions for Baroda. At the international level, the century against New Zealand before the SA tour gave me a lot of confidence. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish any of the matches in South Africa but I hope to do so in the World Cup.

What about the pressures of playing World Cup matches at home?

I think it's my job to bat till we reach the finish line. I don't think much about pressure. You get nothing out of putting pressure on your mind. You should believe in your natural ability and the strength given to you by God and the rest will follow. My job for Team India is to play without complicating things. The situation is best explained when a cricketer is compared to a boxer who needs to keep using his hand to defend himself without thinking too much about the pressures and surrounding. I always play my cricket like that. As far as the World Cup pressure is concerned, we expect the fans to support us both during the good and bad times. Their encouragement is needed most when we lose a match. That really helps us to get back the confidence. I'm sure the Indian public will be behind us all the time.