Bangalore, March 11: Mike Hussey maintains he's just an "everyday bloke" but judging by the reaction to his arrival in India, not many of his Australian teammates would agree.
Bowler Brett Lee summed up the mood on Thursday when he described Hussey's return to the squad, having originally been ruled out with a hamstring injury, as a "dream come true."
The No. 4-ranked one-day batsman is a renowned player of spin and has an excellent record in India, but the 35-year-old, nicknamed Mr. Cricket, joked Friday he's "not that special, believe me."
"I'm just a normal, everyday bloke, I'm just trying to do my job," he said. "I don't try to put any more pressure on myself. I just try and be myself and do the job the team requires in any particular game."
Such is Hussey's reputation as a middle-order batsman that Australia's selectors felt sufficiently emboldened to turn to him instead of a like-for-like replacement when fast bowler Doug Bollinger was ruled out of the tournament.
If Hussey had had his way, he would have been in the squad in the first place, having declared his confidence that he would recover from injury in time for the start of the World Cup.
"I found it pretty difficult to take for a while," he said of his exclusion from the squad. "But I then used all that energy and emotion to rehab and get better as fast as I could."
Now that he is back, he could find himself replacing his brother David in the lineup for Sunday's match against Kenya in Bangalore, with Cameron White also thought to be vulnerable.
"I haven't spoken to (David)," Hussey said. "The team has been playing pretty well, so I don't know what the selectors are going to do. I haven't been given any indication if I am going to play or not.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm hoping to play but if not then I'll just keep preparing as well as I can and be ready for if I'm required at some stage."
Hussey posted scores of 19 and 11 on his return from injury for Western Australia last weekend, but it is his record for Australia -- and particularly in India -- that will worry the opposition.
His lowest score in India was 13 against West Indies back in 2006. Since then, he has racked up four half centuries in his 10 innings, and never scored less than 30. Overall, he has an average of 51.96 from 151 matches since 2004.
Still, Hussey doesn't mind admitting that the selectors' decision to include him in place of Bollinger -- after Ponting had said he expected a bowler to come in -- has added a "little bit" of pressure.
"I just want to go out there and prepare well, play my game," he said. "I know my game in the one-day team very well.
"Similar to the Ashes, there's always so much speculation and so much pressure and so much hype and all of the distractions around the team. But for me I just try to put all of those things out of my mind and concentrate on what's important and that's doing my job in the team."
And with Australia looking for a remarkable fourth straight win at the World Cup, Hussey has plenty of reasons to be cheerful.
"To play in any World Cup game is extremely special, to come back and play in this World Cup would be probably even more special especially considering the setbacks I've had the last couple of months," Hussey said.
"Once I was ruled out through an injury and out of the squad, I pretty much thought I wouldn't get another chance to play in a World Cup. When I was ruled out it was a pretty bitter pill to take, but unbelievably I find myself here." AP
