IPL 2022: Zaheer Khan Helped Me Learn The Traits of Bowling In T20 Cricket: Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel has seen a phenomenal rise in T20 cricket over the last 18 months. From being on the fringes for many years to winning the purple cap in IPL 2022 and then making his India T20 debut he has indeed come a long way. Recently he revealed that he learnt the traits of T20 bowling from veteran pacer Zaheer Khan.

Speaking to Gaurav Kapoor his show Breakfast With Champions, he revealed that it was Zaheer Khan who helped him develop and strengthen his T20 game.

When Maxwell, AB and Virat Praise You, It’s A Huge Confidence Booster: Harshal Patel

Patel has been in the IPL for over a decade but he never got to play a lot of matches in a single season. He used to get a game here or there. But regardless of the fact, he has been lucky in a way to be associated with RCB for the longest while in IPL. It was probably because of that reason that he was traded from Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2021 IPL season. He repaid the faith of the franchise as he picked up 32 wickets in 15 games for the franchise.

He has now become one of the leading wicket-taker for RCB.

“AB, Virat and Maxi have said that (it is impossible to catch his slower ball out of the hand). So I bowled a few slower balls to Maxi and he comes out of the nets and says, ‘mate, no way they are hitting this.’ When people like him, Virat or AB say that, you think, ‘if they are not seeing it out of the hand, who else can?’ Huge confidence booster,” Patel told to Kapoor.

He further added: “If I have to look at someone who legitimised slower ball, [it] was Zaheer Khan in the 2011 World Cup. The way he got people out with those knuckleballs was unbelievable to watch. I got my education in T20 bowling from him. I started with RCB in 2012 and he used to come up to me every single ball and tell me what I need to bowl.”

“I remember we were playing in Pune and he had told me not to bowl a slower ball, but I still bowled it and Robin Uthappa smashed me for a six over mid wicket. So he came up to me and (laughs) among all the other things he said, he also said ‘Didn’t I tell you not to bowl that?’

“I met him last year after the game and asked him a couple of questions. He said, ‘Everything is going so well. How much more do you want to change it?’, Patel said about the influence Zaheer had on his game.

Harshal Patel has become an important part of RCB’s plan for the tournament and the management would hope that Patel can continue his golden run in the tournament.

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