Mumbai Indians pacer Mitchell Johnson today said having played for Australia under Ricky Ponting, who is currently leading MI in Pepsi IPL, might prove to be advantageous for him as the skipper knows his game well.
"I have been under his (Ponting's) captaincy for a lot of my career. I guess having Ricky as captain, I think he knows me pretty well. So that sort of helps a lot when we are in a situation because it is such a fast game," said Johnson ahead of Mumbai Indians clash against Pune Warriors here tomorrow.
"The Champions League T20 was my first game for the Mumbai Indians and Harbhajan Singh was the captain, so that was quite different for me. But it was something new and something exciting.
"But Ricky knows me very well so he can pick up those little things quicker than Harbhajan could have. Having said that, when I was under Harbhajan I found that he was quite easy to talk to, pretty open to suggestions. He just said to me I know as a bowler you have got the experience, just let me know what field you want. I mean it is very similar to Ricky as well," he added.
Johnson, who has toured India as a member of the Australia cricket team in the past, said the difference he is experiencing in the IPL while playing at the Wankhede Stadium is that the crowd supports his side to the hilt.
"I have enjoyed it so far. It's been very exciting, The crowds have been amazing. Obviously, I have made a few tours here for Australia and there has been big crowd for those games not cheering for us. But to be a part of Mumbai Indians team and playing for such a big crowd who are cheering for you, it is quite amazing. I am really enjoying it at the moment," said Johnson.
Asked how he intended to stop Pune Warriors from getting the sort of start they had against Rajasthan Royals that helped them end their 11-match losing streak, Johnson said he was confident of finding a way out.
"It's Twenty20. You have got to find a way to stop them from hitting out. Because anyone on their given day can get out there and blast runs very quickly. You have to find a way to cope with it," said Johnson.
