By Ravichandran Ashwin

We have got two games done with a win and a loss but the camp is pretty upbeat and I genuinely thought we played some good cricket, particularly against Kolkata Knight Riders. There are a lot of positives as we definitely came richer in terms of experience from the game. Probably when we go to KKR next time we will have more experience in our hand but there are more positives and very few negatives.

There were a few moments that didn't quite go our way, of course, which on another day might have. There was that no ball where Andre Russell got bowled, for instance, and there were a few other things too that generally should have gone our way but these sort of things do happen in the IPL. Varun (Chakravarthy) went for a few runs but then we had a chat with him on the field. It was more about calming him and getting him to come around the game. He has been a massive buy for us so it's important that we make him comfortable around the group and also get the best out of him. I think he'll get better as the tournament goes on. So we will have to get on with it and keep getting better. Overall, though, I'm happy with the way we batted and bowled that day.

Figuring the combination

Good to get AJ (Andrew Tye), a Purple Cap holder, back and it was only about time we got him into the XI. We'd like to play a really powerful combination so it's important that we trust the people and allow them to get the job done. It's also more about how we go and sort out the combination. As of now we are certain about a particular combination and we'd like to give it the best possible opportunity to come good. But most of the things are the result of the venues we play and the teams we are going to play against, so the combination will move around a bit. We have enough of options to try and test them out as well. So as of now we are very much comfortable where we stand.

It's important to remember that this is a very long tournament - not like a 100-meter race. It's very important to take it as it comes and take every step with utmost caution and utmost confidence. Having said that, it is always exciting to play home games, which we will this weekend. We had a very good stretch of three home games here at Mohali last year. So we would love to start at home on a good note and hopefully keep the momentum going at home. We know Punjabi fans are the most passionate. I'd just urge them to come and support us in large numbers and also urge the Punjabi community worldwide to follow us and keep us in their best prayers!