21 May,2011 08:22 AM IST | | Ashwin Ferro
Contrary to his team being in hot water as far as their qualification chances for IPL-IV's playoff stages go, Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist spoke of how the team had a great time in the chilly waters in the Bhagsu area here some 2000 metres above sea level.
"We had a great couple of days here after the win over Royal Challengers Bangalore. We went up to meet the Dalai Lama (Tibetan spiritual guru in exile in the McLeodganj area some 10 kms away from Dharamsala) which was a wonderful experience.
Kings XI Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist
It's not everyday that you meet someone like the Dalai Lama and I spoke to him about a few personal issues and it was a very enriching experience overall.
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Then we visited a nearby waterfall (in the Bhagsu area) which had some freezing water.
It was very refreshing. I must say the last week has been the most wonderful week of my life, and it's not just my cricketing life that I'm talking about here," said Gilchrist, who however clarified that he wasn't expecting any miracles from the spiritual leader.
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"With due respect to the Lama however, he has no knowledge of cricket so he did not offers us any tips to win (against Deccan Chargers today). It's entirely in our hands to play well and win," he said.
The Australian said it's no point looking at the various permutations and combinations required for the team to make the knock out stages unless they beat the Chargers. Punjab are currently on 14 points from 13 matches. "Our priority is to win the match, so we are not really looking at anything beyond that. Factors like run rate and other results mean nothing if we don't win today," said Gilchrist.
Meanwhile, just as Kings XI Punjab are looking to extend their four-game winning streak to five, their opponents Deccan Chargers (placed seventh in the table with 10 points from 13 matches) too are keen to stretch their two-game winning run to three.
"We have been quite inconsistent in the tournament and that's the reason we have not been able to achieve a lot of success. On the days we have batted well, we have not bowled well and vice versa. But we'd certainly like to finish with a win here in our last match of the tournament.
Besides, the IPL is not just about one year, there are two more years to go and we will look to do well therein," said Chargers' new skipper Cameron White who replaces Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara who left for national duty.
