Adding variety to bowling is the only way ahead, says Krunal Pandya
Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya said the insane hitting power of modern day batters in the IPL is forcing the bowlers to evolve rapidly and add more variety to their craft to stay competitive.
Pandya has been witnessing this transformation since 2016, and understands that the league has evolved into a high-intensity power driven spectacle.
“If you follow the IPL closely over the last 10 years, the striking ability of batters has changed drastically. Today, power-hitting is constantly evolving. The new-age batters coming in have an insane ability to clear the ropes with ease,” Pandya said on JioStar.
“So as a bowler, I have realised that you have to add variety to your bowling arsenal. You must stay one step ahead of the batter. That is how bowling bouncers and yorkers came into the process,” added Pandya, who has so far taken nine wickets this season and has crossed the century wicket mark overall in the IPL.
Pandya, who had earlier played for Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, said he has managed to stay relevant in a competition tailor-made for batters, relying on bouncers despite being a spinner.
“It was not that I suddenly woke up one day and started bowling bouncers as a spinner. It was a very well thought out plan, understanding what a bouncer does psychologically to a batter.
“Being a batter myself helps me think like a batter. I always try to stay one step ahead of the batter in terms of thought process and then focus on how to execute my skill,” he added.
The 35-year-old said bowling to quality batters like Heinrich Klaasen and Shreyas Iyer can be daunting but reading the situation and adapting to it helped him stay with them.
“My approach depends on the situation. Sometimes I need to attack, other times I need to choke the runs. My main thought is always about bowling the best possible delivery for that moment.
“Heinrich Klaasen loves taking on spinners. Against batters like him, the better balls you bowl, the more dot balls you create, and the higher your chances of forcing a mistake. You can’t just keep attacking mindlessly. “Sometimes, when a dangerous batter is at the crease, you have to go for the wicket and take a risk. It all depends on the game situation,” he added.
