As India and New Zealand gear up for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from Friday (June 18), South African pacer Dale Steyn has opened up how he would have bowled to Virat Kohli to unsettle the Indian skipper.
The 37-year-old retired from Test cricket after playing 93 Tests for South Africa and took 439 wickets. Steyn is considered as one of the world’s most dangerous pacers and also troubled Kohli many times when the pacer was at the peak of his bowling prowess, but the right-hander was a promising youngster and on the track to becoming one of the world's best in business.
Ahead of the WTC 2021 Final between India and New Zealand, Steyn has revealed his plans if he had to bowl against Kohli while saying he used a few tricks to break his confidence by “playing mind games”.
Steyn told Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNCricinfo: “You've got to play the mind games with Virat. I would look at putting somebody in at short leg. I would let him know that I'm going to come at him, come at his body, want to come quickly at him. And I'd want him to try and pull, because I feel like that's his B game.”
He further added, “Even though he does it really well, I'd want him to think that's where I'm going to bowl, and then get it up there because I like to swing the ball, I like to move the ball. Look for those three modes of dismissals, LBW, bowled and the caught behind.”
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Further explaining his plans, the Proteas speedster has stressed the need to make the batsman believe that he's being set up for a short ball while the reality would be something totally different while saying the bowlers need to unsettle the batsmen early in his innings.
Steyn further noted, “We know, every batter's feet in the first 20 balls is not moving as well as he's like to. His eyes haven't adjusted, he hasn't adapted to the wicket just yet. So I'd want him to think I'm going to go short but I'll probably bowl six full balls to him to be honest.”
He signed off by saying, “I'll probably trying to get him to nick every single ball but I'll be telling him, 'it's coming… I'm going to hit you in the head you know. I'm not going to swear at him but let him know that that short leg is in business.”
(With IANS Inputs)
