I don't want to watch IPL auctions when my name comes up: Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson

Ever since Corey Anderson smashed his way to a 36-ball hundred against the West Indies to ring in 2014, he has had to face a particular question from the reporters wherever he goes. With the ton coming just weeks ahead of the player auctions for the IPL 2014 season, every reporter and their neighbours have been asking Anderson how much he thinks he’ll be bought for on February 12.

It has been a question that has been posed to his teammates as well and the all rounder knows that it is not going to go away.

“Can’t say I am ignoring it, the way it keeps coming up,” Anderson said. “Some stage you are going to yield to it. I am excited about it.

“I haven’t been in it before and haven’t experienced it. I am looking forward to it. I don’t know what it’s all going to be about. When it happens I don’t know what it’s going to feel like. It’s just one of those things. Goes on in the background. Being going on for a wee while. I just have to deal with it.”

While Anderson has his sights set firmly on the second Test against India starting on Friday, he did admit that he will be catching all the action on Wednesday but would skip watching when his name comes up.

“Luckily enough it’s between the Tests. So yes there’s been a bit of talk between the boys to watch the auction over dinner and stuff but I don’t want to watch my one. Rather watch the others. It will be quite exciting,” he said.

Although Anderson does not have a preference for any particular franchise, he is looking forward to playing in front of huge crowds in India.

“I still don’t know if I am going,” he said. “If I go I’d love to play. Obviously some teams have picked up, retained some big players. You always want to go there and experience it. So I don’t have a team that I’d like to [be in]. Just excited about the auction. I’ve been to India once and I did ok there. If I can go over again, it will be awesome and a cool experience.”

Anderson has stated his desire to become the best all-rounder in the world but acknowledges that the entire cricket loving population would be looking at him in the hope that he will reproduce the knock that he played at Queenstown on New Years day.

“You tend to feel that pressure a little,” he said. “The expectation now is that people want to see me try and do that all the time. Spoken to a lot of people and you try and forget that expectation and just bat.”

When asked about his preference for a particular stroke, Anderson said : “Not too sure to be honest. I tend to like going to cow corner. That’s a pretty favourite shot. But I like hitting straight. I guess anything that comes out of the middle of the bat is a favourite shot but I am always (looking) to go straight.”

Anderson is an aggressive batsman by nature, but he knows that the percentages don’t usually favour his kind.

“I am probably lucky that it’s sort of my natural game,” he said. “I don’t have to change any ways to try and do that. Just one of those things. Comes off one day and doesn’t come off the next. When you do it for a period of time gives massive confidence but you are always one game away from having no confidence at all, so it is a great leveller. And you just try and ride the highs.”

The player auctions on Wednesday are likely to draw huge bids for Anderson and give him another opportunity to ride one of those highs.