Haryana skipper Harshal Patel has always been one of those bowlers who do their work quietly and without much fuss. He smashed a 36-year-old domestic record of spinner Rajinder Goel by picking 52 wickets in 9 Ranji matches.
He has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals in the IPL, but his previous season in 2019 came to an early halt due to a fracture of hand. He lamented the lack of opportunities he has gotten in the tournament and hopes to make more contributions going forward.
“I do realize that I was not very consistent at times. So if you look at the spell of 24 balls, I may have given a couple of loose balls here and there and that has hurt my economy. So when you look at only numbers it shows that I have been expensive,” he said.
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“But I have also been able to get wickets at crucial stages and to put this in perspective, you will get to know that I have done reasonably well,” Patel said.
The all-rounder was also the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20. In T20s, Patel opened and scored 374 runs at an average of 31.17 in 12 games in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
“I don’t want to be called an all-rounder just for the sake of it. My goal is to contribute more and more value to the team. In IPL, I have never got an opportunity to bat. I have got two proper innings where I have done reasonably well,” he said.
He feels him batting at no.7 will give the team an option to play an extra bowler and bring better balance to the side.
“I would like to get more opportunities with the bat. It’s always an advantage for the team because if you have a player who can bat at number 7 and bowl four overs, it adds a lot to the combination. In that case, you have one player doing the job of two,” Patel said.
Patel was in RCB from 2012, and in 2018 was roped in by Delhi Capitals. In his 43-match IPL career, he has taken 43 wickets.
However, despite good performances, a call-up to the Indian team remains elusive and Patel says that not having a mentor of someone influential person has hurt him. “I failed to realize what my weaknesses and strengths are. I hopped from one idea to another to improve my game. I never stuck to one thing,” he said.
He further stated, “It does make a difference if you have somebody hyping you up. People have likings and disliking and if you have somebody who is influential and talks about you at different places, it does make a good case for you.”
“But I don’t have that so I don’t think about it. Whatever I have is my game and a drive to get better. If people will notice what I have to offer, things will definitely happen,” he said.
Harshal also opined on the ban on saliva usage and said that it’s an ingrained thing for bowlers. “There will be four to five people every day in the match referee’s room because they put saliva on the ball. It’s a behavioral change and will be difficult to change,” he said.
(indianexpress.com inputs)
