Mumbai: Australian fast bowlers are known to talk up the team's chances just before a big series. They even smartly use the mediate to proclaim that the opposition is useless. Glenn McGrath's Ashes prediction, even after retirement, remained constant. Yes ‘5-0'. Brett Lee has taken up the mantle from McGrath and he recently predicted a 7-0 shoreline against India.

Mitchell Johnson though is an Aussie quickie with a difference. He prefers to talk more about himself than the opposition. Winner of the ICC Cricketer Of The Year
award, Johnson says he is good enough to open the batting in the One-dayers.

“I know it's a big call, but I really think I can open in One-dayers and T20s,'' the
left-arm-pacer, who has improved his batting enormously said on Thursday ; Guess one can't fault his confidence as the award he recently pocketed in Johannesburg is named after one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, West Indies' Garfield Sobers.

“I was padded up to go in early in may games in England especially when the powerplays were on, but - didn't really get a cancer's he said.


Johnson might have to wait if he wants to bat higher as the aussie top-order is in roaring form. “If there's an opportunity I want to put my hand upper he stressed.

Those words cast one's mind to India's Irfan Pathan, another talented left-arm-swing bowler who could bat and how the desire of the team-management to convert him into an all- rounder, disintegrated his bowling. Does it scare Johnson that the same could happen to him. “I have thought about it, but I'm not scared. I'm always going to work very hard on my bowling. That's going to be No.1 as that's what I'm in the team for, to hit the deck and bowl fast. But batting is something 1 take very seriously and I face all our main bowlers in the nets add not too many part-timers,'' he revealed.

It's not hard to sense that Johnson is passionate about batting, but it's hurling the red or white five-and-a-half-ounce orb that really gives him the kick. Johnson can hurl bomb- shells at over 90mph that break batsmen's hands and toes and make indelible marks on their chins. He did that to Graeme Smith (in Sydney and Durban) and Jacques Kallis (Durban) respectively