AB de Villers Has Had A Massive Impact On My Career: Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel and AB de Villers both play for the franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL
Mumbai: Indian pacer Harshal Patel has shared the impact of former South African Batter AB de Villiers on his fast bowler’s career. De Villiers announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday.
Both the players play for the franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL. Harshal Patel said he has been a silent observer of AB de Villiers and he has an impact on Harshal’s game during IPL 2021. Also Read: Ind vs NZ: Been A Hectic Schedule But Looking To Finish T20I Series On A High, Says Southee
After India defeated New Zealand in the second T20I, Harshal said, “AB de Villers has had a massive impact on my career. I always have been a silent observer of him. When we were about to start the UAE-leg (IPL), I had asked him about it. how do I reduce my big overs? He said if the batter hits you on good deliveries, make sure you don’t change the way of your bowling.”
“That’s something which stayed with me throughout the second leg of IPL and it will stay with me throughout my cricketing career,” he added.
De Villiers has played 156 matches for RCB and scored 4,491 runs. He is the second all-time leading run-scorer behind Kohli.
Meanwhile, India sealed the T20I series against New Zealand with a 2-0 lead after registering a thumping seven-wicket win on Friday. Harshal, who made his India debut, exuded confidence and said he knew he could perform at the highest level.
“I knew I could play at the highest level. I could do well at the highest level with both bat and ball. So my process was always driven by my internal drive to constantly get better and actualize my potential. Never at any moment, I felt that the dream is running away from me,” said Harshal in the post-match press conference.
He added, “I always felt that if you put in the work, have patience then things will eventually go in your favour. I am someone who looks at things with a long-term perspective.”
The India pacer did admit that it was difficult for him to bowl in the second T201 due to the dew factor which made sure he wasn’t able to execute his yorkers perfectly.
He signed off, “Definitely when dew comes in you cannot always control the ball. Especially with my yorkers and slower yorkers the margin of error is less when the ball is dry. With the dew, it becomes difficult to grip the ball. It was difficult to bowl as I couldn’t use my two main weapons (yorkers and slower yorkers) in the second T201.”
India will play the 3rd T20 match against New Zealand on Sunday in Kolkata.
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