IPL 2018: Krishnappa Gowtham Opens Up About His Duel With Jasprit Bumrah
The other night star, Krishnappa Gowtham had a mountain to climb when he came out to bat against Mumbai Indians at Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Just four-innings old in the Indian Premier League, Gowtham has had a huge task to cut out as Rajasthan Royals required 43 off 17 balls.
However, what made his job even tougher, was that the next over was set to be bowled by Jasprit Bumrah – one of the best death bowlers in the world.
Moreover, in his previous over, Bumrah had taken two wickets while conceding only one run.
From that position, only Mumbai Indians looked like the winners. But Gowtham had other plans as he slammed 33 off just 11 – to fire his team to an unlikely win.
The aggressive-looking batter took Bumrah to the cleaners, smashing him for 18 runs to help his side claw their way back. In the last over, he hit Hardik Pandya for a four and a six to seal the cliffhanger.
Speaking after the game, Gowtham reflected on what went through his mind when he was up against Bumrah.
“I expected him to go for a yorker because the last ball he bowled was a bouncer. So I expected a wide yorker [and] as he had those fielders [at point and third man] in, I thought, let me wait for it and I just played the shot. That’s about it,” he told the host broadcaster.
“We do practice all this stuff. When you’re batting No. 7 or 8, you’re expected to get these kinds of deliveries and I’ve done this kind of practice much before the tournament and yesterday as well. So yes, I’d practiced and premeditated it would be a yorker. But it wasn’t a yorker, it was a length ball, I might have gone straight,” he added.
Gowtham went on to reveal the secret to flatten an in-form Bumrah.
“I have played him before in one of the tournaments which we play back home; we play Vijaya Bank tournament so I have played him at that time. But he was not Bumrah then. Now he is something different,” Gowtham mentioned.
The allrounder Krishnappa Gowtham further hoped that the match-winning knock would mark the beginning of something special.
“All our support staff, my captain, my players, everyone just told me to believe in yourself, believe in your ability. I had not done justice with the bat and I hope this is just the beginning,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Royals are now fifth in the IPL 2018 table after winning their second game. They will next play Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday (April 29).
Also, read: IPL 2018: Twitter Reactions as Gowtham’s Late Heroics Pulls off an Incredible Win for Rajasthan Royals
