IPL 2022: Daniel Vettori Called Me To The Breakfast Area, Said 'We Don't See You Playing For 4-5 Games' - Harshal Patel Recalls 1st Stint With RCB

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowler Harshal Patel opened up about an incident that took place back in 2017 when he was not having the best of seasons for the Bangalore franchise.

Harshal was part of the squad back then but couldn’t break into the playing XI. Things worsened to such a degree that he was sent back home by Daniel Vettori, the then head coach of RCB. This was one of the lowest points in the 30-year-old’s career.

“I played 5 games in 2016 and then didn’t play anything after that. 2017 again same situation. I was even sent home once. This used to happen a lot earlier because if you’re keeping a player, there’s his hotel room, daily allowances, you’ve to take him to practice, book his flight tickets. I vividly remember what happened.”

“Avinash Vaidya called me in the room and he said ‘Dan (Vettori) wants to talk to you. And we were staying at Ritz-Carlton. So he called me to the breakfast area and told me ‘We don’t see you playing for at least 4-5 more games so we’re sending you home.

“But we’ll call you back. It was the epitome of rejection, that you aren’t even in the team,” Harshal said on the YouTube Show, ‘Breakfast with Champions’.

“That was the first time I actually sold myself to anyone” – Harshal Patel

Harshal further revealed that he had to ask Vettori to include him in the playing XI once RCB was knocked out of the competition. It was one of RCB’s worst seasons where they won just 3 games out of 14 and finished last.

“Then I think after 4-5 games, RCB was knocked out, we were not going to qualify. So I messaged Vettori saying ‘Give me a game’. That was the first time I actually sold myself to anyone. They called me for the last game and we were playing Delhi at Kotla.”

“The first over I bowled went for some 14-15 runs and then the nerves settled. I said ‘Already been hit for 15 runs, how much worse can it get?’. Then I ended up picking three wickets and won the game for the team. I was Player of the Match in that game. And then next year was the 2018 auction,” Harshal added.

Harshal is now a regular member of the RCB team and is one of their best death bowlers.

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