Explaining one major reason behind his success in this year's IPL so far, Delhi Capitals (DC) pacer Anrich Nortje said he hasn't felt intimidated bowling to the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and AB de Villiers, sticking to his strengths rather than worrying how they will respond.
Brought in only as a replacement for England's Chris Woakes, the South African fast bowler has been a revelation of sorts in the competition so far.
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Nortje has taken 12 wickets in nine innings while going at 7.75 runs per over, a respectable rate, especially considering how he has been one of his team's prefered option at the death along with fellow Proteas quick Kagiso Rabada.
The conditions in UAE were never expected to offer him much, but Nortje has made the uneven nature of the decks in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and even Sharjah work to his advantage, banging the ball at hard lengths with alarming pace and making it really difficult for batsmen to line him up.
The 26-year-old told ANI, "It is not about the players (you are bowling to) but more about what we need to do and try and focus on the plan. Better the player, more you have to focus."
"A good length is a good length and then work around our strengths and see where we can beat them and try and get them out. Even to Rohit, a good line and length will be difficult to play as long as we can hit the mark," he added.
Among the quickest bowlers on show, who has regularly clocked above 150 kmph this tournament, Nortje says he likes using his bouncers to good effect, mixing them up with the yorkers and other variations.
"It's just something that I use," he said. "No point bowling just six full balls every time. You need to push the batsmen and make them aware of what you have."
"Whether they get out that ball or next ball, but it is a weapon you have to use as a fast bowler. You cannot let them just lunge forward every time. Especially in T20 cricket, it makes life so much easier."
With the pitches gradually deteriorating, Nortje feels spinners will only have a bigger say in the matter as the tournament approaches the business end.
"I think they are going to play a massive role later in the tournament. Conditions a little bit tough when you hit the good length," he said.
"In general, I think if you bowl a good line and length, there is a lot offered by the wicket and you don't need to do too many things. I think we just try to keep it as simple as possible."
DC currently stand at the top of the points table with seven wins in nine outings and apart from their ability, Nortje thinks the camaraderie between the players is one major factor behind the team's success.
"On the field, we try and bounce ideas off one another; but off the field, we speak a lot of nonsense and have fun. In general, we have some good banter. Nice having a young team. Lot of 24-26 year-olds. Really nice being around the group."
"There is a lot of experience as well, even though it is a young group. Everyone is from a different condition and background, so (we) just try and see how everyone goes about it. Ricky (Ponting) is also pretty good and calls a spade a spade. Not a lot of cliches are used," he signed off.
