India and Punjab Kings (PBKS) sailor, Harshal Patelhas been turning heads in the ongoing IPL 2024 since he dismissed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend MS Dhoni with a first-ball duck in the ongoing IPL 2024. Patel has performed impressively with the ball so far in the tournament.
With 17 wickets from 11 games for the Punjab Kings (PBKS)Patel is currently the second highest wicket-taker in the ongoing IPL 2024, trailing only India and Mumbai Indians speedstar Jasprit Bumrah, who has 18 wickets to his name in 12 matches.
As Patel prepares for a crucial IPL 2024 match against his former franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on May 9, the seamer reflected on his performance, his admiration for Bumrah as a death bowler and his commitment to mastering the art of bowling York.
Harshal Patel wants to emulate Jasprit Bumrah’s approach
Despite his impressive wicket-taking skills, Patel admitted concerns about his economy rate, which sits at over nine runs per over. In overcoming this challenge, the Indian bowler stressed the importance of finding a balance between containing runs and taking wickets. Patel expressed his commitment to improve in this aspect to effectively contribute to his team’s success.
Harshal Patel was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying: “I’ve kind of figured out what I need to do to shut batters down when needed, and there’s a lot of skill that goes into that. I worked consistently on these skills before the season.”
Harshal admitted that he has not lived up to expectations yet but wants to emulate Bumrah’s approach of maintaining the economy while taking wickets in the ongoing IPL 2024. He further noted: “I haven’t been able to do it consistently in the game but I’m on the right track and when everything comes together I want to be as good as someone like Jasprit Bumrah because we always talk about the bowlers getting on at nine or 10 per over and during this IPL there was one fast bowler, Bumrah, who scored less than six most of the time. I challenge myself to be as good as him.”
Harshal Patel talks about his execution
Furthermore, Harshal Patel stressed on the importance of being precise in his deliveries as he believes that when delivering effectively, the batsmen find it difficult to come into contact with his deliveries. He also has confidence in his execution, which allows him to throw six pitches in a row without constantly getting hit.
Harshal also acknowledged that batters occasionally manage to reach a ball in one throw, but typically struggle beyond that. He’s willing to throw six slower balls in a row if possible. Despite being called a ‘pacer who bowls off spin’, Harshal remains unfazed by it as he focuses only on execution and effectiveness in his bowling strategy.
It is noteworthy that PBKS is currently at the 8th position in the IPL 2024 points table with 8 points from 11 games so far.