Hero of the West Indies' stunning triumph over defending champions India in the Twenty20 World Cup, Dwayne Bravo credited the match-winning all-round display to his Indian Premier League stint which came about after he was declared unfit for the national Test squad.
Bravo first picked up four wickets and returned to smash a 36-ball 66 to power West Indies to a seven-wicket win over India in a Super Eight stage match in London on Friday.
Asked about the IPL experience and the contribution it made to his game, Bravo said, "This was my second stint in the IPL and I gained a lot of experience both the times. Sharing the dressing room with some of the best players in the world, you've got to learn a lot. I think that's what I did.
"Since I returned from injury, I have been working very hard at my game and it is nice to see the hard work paying off," he added.
Bravo, who played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, thanked his captain Chris Gayle for sending him up the order at number four.
"I just have a love and passion for the game. I enjoy playing cricket. This is what I was born to do. I was given the opportunity by the captain to go up the order, I grabbed it with both hands," Bravo said.
Bravo said although the team continues to depend heavily on Gayle for a good start but there are players in the side who can chip in if the skipper gets out early.
"It's nice to see someone actually put up their hand, take the game into their own hands. Yes we depend on Chris to get a good start but this is cricket, it doesn't happen all the time. He's in good form and we know before this tournament is over he's going to come good again," he said.
"Our captain had the confidence to shuffle the batting order and we still got the job done. It doesn't matter what number I bat," he added.
Gayle, meanwhile, also lavished praise of pacer Fidel Edwards, who wiped out the Indian top order scalping three wickets.
"We had that tremendous start from Fidel Edwards, picking up wickets at the top of the order made it difficult for them to get off to a flyer."
The skipper was also pleased with his side's improved fielding.
"We have had a discussion about our fielding. We did more catching drills during our warm-up. It's not like we are not working on our fielding, we know it's our downfall. We just have to keep working," he said.
