‘Mr Cricket’ Hussey struggling with Indian heat

Veteran Australian batsman Michael Hussey, newly arrived in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to play for the defending champions, admitted Friday that he was struggling with the heat and humidity.

The middle-order batsman, who turns 37 later this month, was run out for 18 in his first match on Monday after arriving to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) following a Test series for Australia in the West Indies.

“I do struggle in the heat and humidity. That is a lot. It's very, very tough,” Hussey, nicknamed “Mr Cricket”, told NDTV in an interview ahead of Friday's match between Chennai and the Deccan Chargers.

Hussey, representing CSK since the IPL's inaugural season in 2008, said it was “fantastic” to be back playing for Chennai.

“It's good to catch up with the other players,” Hussey said, adding he loved the hot and spicy food in the industrial southern port city, where the temperature was 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday.

Hussey conceded it was a big challenge playing against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday after a long flight from the Caribbean.

“It was a dream actually. I was not sure what was going on. It was a bit of a battle getting on the field. Quite a big jetlag,” said Hussey.

Hussey has scored 5,708 runs in 73 Tests and 5,262 runs in 181 one-dayers since making his international debut in 2004.

The 76-match IPL tournament has nine teams playing each other on a home-and-away basis before the top-four sides qualify for the play-offs. The final will be on May 27.