Mongia out to curb his aggression

Recalled to the Indian one-day side for the first time since April 2005, Dinesh Mongia, the left-hand batsman, says he will not make the same mistakes that cost him his place in the side. With the tri-series in Malaysia, also featuring Australia and West Indies, due to start in early September, Mongia admitted he would curb his aggression and convert good starts into big scores if given the opportunity.

"I was getting good starts. I should have made use of those opportunities and should have converted those 30s and 40s into bigger scores," he told The Times of India. "Now, I have worked on it. Being a professional cricketer I should always think positively. Once I start thinking negatively, the negativity will creep into my game. Life is not fair always."

Mongia, 29, enjoyed a successful county stint with Leicestershire, making runs and taking wickets. His selection, as the selectors admitted last month, was also based on his ability to bowl a few tidy overs of left-arm spin. By Mongia's own admission, it is this feature which could mark him out as a key allrounder. "It was in 2002 that I thought of taking up bowling seriously," he said. "In the Australian team that played the World Cup in 2003 everyone were allrounders. I knew that the future belonged to allrounders."

Mongia was also quick to point out that there were aspects of his game that needed sorting out. "I am not ashamed to accept that I was lacking fitness when I made my debut in 2001," he said. "I would like to improve my fitness. We did not have the National Cricket Academy those days [when he made his first-class debut in 1995-96]. I built my confidence after three or four first-class seasons. I am a firm believer that the more you play the better you get."