Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel revealed that he wanted to try bowling wide but once it failed, he decided to switch it up and resort to the hard lengths on a good surface at the Eden Gardens.
Harshal was crucial in RCB’s 14-run victory over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator on Wednesday. After Rajat Patidar’s stunning century, LSG were in the run chase but the RCB bowling attack led by Harshal fared brilliantly in the death overs to seal the Qualifier 2 spot.
“There were a lot of thoughts in my mind throughout the season because it was in Mumbai, which is batter-friendly. I thought about focusing more on my hard lengths and mixing it up with the slower one.”
“My hard lengths have gone at seven and a half per over, so it has worked out well. I had a plan to bowl wide to Stoinis but it didn’t come off well. It worked against Liam Livingstone against Punjab but not today. So I went back to what worked for me,” Harshal mentioned.
Harshal Patel provides an update on the injury
Harshal had picked up a hand injury during RCB’s final league stage game against the Gujarat Titans. Fortunately for RCB, the 30-year-old recovered quite quickly and was able to participate in the Eliminator.
“Hand’s fine. It has healed superficially but there’s an issue inside. It is a bit sore every time I stretch my thumb,” he further revealed.
With the victory, RCB will now face off against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 on Friday.