CricInfo's Anand Vasu had a warm conversation with Shalabh Sriwastava.   Audio

AV: I was in Sri Lanka when you lifted the Under-19 World Cup. Let's start by talking about that experience.

SS: It was a great experience for all of us. We had a good team, we played well and won. It was a memorable experience.

AV: For any cricketer, the day he makes his debut is a very important moment. How did you feel when you made your debut in the Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh?

SS: It was a great moment. Before I played my first Ranji Trophy match for Uttar Pradesh, I had never ever seen a Ranji Trophy match. I was straightaway playing! Because of that I was a bit nervous. I got only one wicket in that match. Frankly, I didn't bowl well at all in that match. After that I went to Sri Lanka. When I returned from Sri Lanka, I got six wickets in the very first Ranji Trophy match that I played, that was against Haryana.

AV: Fast bowling is not something Indians take naturally to. How did you decide to become a fast bowler?

SS: Actually there was nobody to tell me what to do. In my family there was no one who had played any cricket. I was playing only to pass time - either tennis ball or plastic ball cricket. Then I was selected to play for a hostel team in Lucknow in 1996-97. From that time I have been a fast bowler.

AV: Who were your heroes when you were growing up?

SS: Glen McGrath is my favourite. He's a great bowler. And if you want to see consistency you have to watch McGrath. I like his bowling very much. And Wasim Akram as well, he is also a great bowler.

AV: Of the people you have played with, who has helped you the most along the way?

SS: I think Shashikant Kandekar is the first name that I must mention. He is a selector in our state as well. He has helped me a lot. Another person is Mohammed Kaif. He is a very close friend of mine. I have learnt a lot from him. From Under-16 we have been playing together. He is a good friend and a good teacher. He is a very knowledgeable cricketer.

AV: The experience in Sri Lanka would have been very different from playing for your state side. What lessons did you learn there?

SS: I have played for India Under-19s before when Sri Lanka came here. I played one Test match and two One-Dayers against but the pressure that we were under in the World Cup was totally different. Both Roger Binny and Kaif taught me a lot, especially Binny. Playing for your country is a great feeling. Although I have played for India before it was totally different even when playing a practice match in the World Cup. I was bowling with a Kookaburra ball for the first time in my life. We played on different wickets and under different conditions and it was very difficult to adjust. As time went by it became easier.

AV: What was the experience in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) like?

SS: This is not new for me. I've experienced this kind of thing in the MRF Pace Foundation where I have been for more than a year now. The main thing about the NCA was the fitness training. Andrew Leipus was there and there was a lot to learn from him. And also Roger Binny and Vasu Paranjpe - there was a lot to learn from them. We worked hard at fielding. Another important thing was batting. This is one thing which fast bowlers hardly concentrate on. At the NCA we batted in the nets and this was very helpful. The other batsmen in the nets were competitive and this was very good for us.

AV: From here your ambition must be to play for India. Why don't you tell us a bit about that?