[[{“value”:”
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Krunal Pandya has been frequently bowling bouncers which are generally employed by fast bowlers, and is mighty pleased with the results.
“I have never shied away from trying new and different things because with the Impact Player rule, previously you had No. 6 or 7 as all-rounders but now there are pure batters [coming in] at No. 8. Also, the skill sets… young boys like Mukul [Choudhary of LSG] and Vaibhav [Sooryavanshi of RR] are hitting away from Ball One. So, as a bowler, I always want to be one step ahead with the skill set and the mental aspect as well,” Krunal said after RCB’s win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday, in reply to a question by mid-day on how difficult it is for a spinner to bowl bouncers consistently.
Krunal, 35, who is playing in his 11th IPL season, has 98 wickets and 1757 runs under his belt from 146 games. He executed some of his bouncers perfectly, finishing with 1-26 off his four overs, which included the prized scalp of MI big-hitter Suryakumar Yadav.
“I am glad that it [bouncers] is coming out well. I hope that in this format, there are finger spinners, who survive and who can take something out of it and do well. Because for a finger spinner on flat tracks and with eight batters, it has become very difficult,” said Krunal, adding that he has worked hard to develop new skills.
“I have always worked on the basics of my bowling and since I’m tall, I’ve been able to get that bounce. Besides, I can get batsmen out with spin and deceive them in flight too,” added Krunal.
23
No. of wins for RCB while defending 200-plus totals in IPL — the joint-most with CSK
“}]]
