With each of his 733 runs in IPL 2013, Michael Hussey evoked a question in the minds of many. ‘Why on earth did he retire from international cricket so early’? So prolific and fluent has he been in the young man’s game that leaving the overwhelming and buzzing fresh batting talents behind, he walked away with the Orange Cap – presented to the highest run-getter in the tournament.

Team man that he is, Hussey found little consolation in the individual reward as his team, Chennai Super Kings, fell short by 23 runs of their third IPL title.

Gracious in defeat, the former Australian batsman spoke to IPLT20.com after the final. He talked about his team’s shortcomings in the big game, lauded Mumbai Indians’ performance and re-lived his favourite 2013 IPL moments.

Is the Orange Cap a consolation?

Not really. I’d give the Orange Cap back away for the Trophy definitely. It’s quite an honour to have got it but it would have been nice to perform on the last day and in the big game.

Isn’t it a bit ironical that CSK played their most consistent cricket throughout this season and yet, you don’t have a Trophy in the end?

That’s how the game goes, doesn’t it? T20 cricket is such a fickle game. You’ve got to stay positive and philosophical about it. We’ve had a fantastic season and it’s just unfortunate that we got beaten by a better team on the day and we couldn’t get over the line. But we can still be very proud of our efforts throughout the course of this season. It’s been brilliant.

What went wrong with the batting today; on another day CSK would have chased down 150 without much fuss?

We obviously got off to a very bad start, losing two wickets in the first over. That set the negative tone for us and then we just kept losing wickets; couldn’t get a nice, busy partnership going, which would have given us a chance. Credit goes to the Mumbai Indians; they started very, very well with the ball and had us on the back foot right from the start.

Talking about MI; they revamped their entire team management this year. How big a factor did that play in their resurgence?

They have got some great people around who know cricket, who understand the game and know how winning teams work. Having quality people around definitely helps get results on the field.

What is your most favourite performance from this IPL?

We had great run-chases at home against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals.
They were two very memorable victories for us. But personally, I really enjoyed the performances of obviously Chris Gayle getting a 175 but also David Miller’s century. That innings of him was a real standout for me.

CSK have always been good batting team. But the in-coming pacers have added a lot of value this season.

Yes, we have always been a good batting team and it was a goal of the franchise to strengthen the fast bowling stocks and we have been able to do that. Mohit Sharma in particular has been fantastic over the course of the season and hopefully it gives him a lot of confidence going forward.

Looking forward to the CLT20?

Without a doubt, yes! It’s just nice to be able to see each other more than once in a year. So, to get together as a team, from all parts of the world again after a few months should be really good fun.