Harshal Patel After Claiming Hat-trick: T20I World Cup Selection Out Of Hands

Sep 27, 2021 at 12:37 PM

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Harshal Patel After Claiming Hat-trick: T20I World Cup Selection Out Of Hands

Harshal Patel, Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer, is not losing his sleep over his failure to make it to the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup, despite a consistent run in the ongoing IPL 2021. On the contrary, the seamer from Haryana has taken it in his stride.

Harshal Patel is the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2021 so far, with as many as 23 scalps in 10 matches averaging 13.56. This is his best tally since debuting in IPL 2012. The Purple Cap holder pacer picked a hat-trick and returned with a four-wicket haul, conceding just 17 runs from his 3.1 over spell against Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians.

Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel (Image Credit: Twitter)

Harshal Patel Don’t Have Any Regret For Not Being In India’s T20I World Cup Squad For Selection Is Out Of His Hands

Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday pulled off a terrific 54-run win against Mumbai Indians in Dubai. All-rounder Glenn Maxwell bagged the Player of the Match award to score a fifty and then pick up a couple of crucial wickets. Harshal Patel’s maiden hat-trick in the Indian Premier League (IPL) then skittled MI’s lower batting order, bundling them out for a paltry 111.

“I don’t have any regret anytime, the decisions I have taken in life have been taken as per my best ability at that time. And when it comes to selection, that is completely out of my hand,” he said.

Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell (Image Credit: Twitter)

“There is the only goal for me, whichever team I play, be it a club or IPL team, or when I will play for the country or when I play for Haryana, I try to put a positive impact in the game from whichever situation with ball or bat. That is my goal and it will remain my goal until I play cricket,” he stressed.

Harshal Patel, after claiming a match-winning hat-trick in their IPL match against Mumbai Indians, was short of words and said it will take time to sink in.

Harshal Patel Says His Hat-trick Against MI In IPL Is His First Ever

Glenn Maxwell justified his million-dollar contract with an all-around performance before Harshal Patel took three wickets in three balls to ensure a thumping 54-run victory for RCB on Sunday.

“First-time ever in my life, literally in my life, I have never taken a hat-trick even in a school game. In the IPL, I have been on a hattrick almost, this was my sixth time on a hattrick and this is the first time I have got it. So, absolutely, I don’t know, it is difficult to explain, but it will take some time to sink in,” Harshal said at the post-match press conference.

He stressed that the RCB wanted to consistently play the consistent brand of cricket, which was on display against MI.

“For me personally, I feel good, like I said in the pre-match interview as well, that I am (being) able to execute my skills pretty well,” quipped the 30-year-old seamer.

“In terms of the team, we are not looking at the points table because, if you look at the points table, then your mind goes away from the process. The difficult thing for us was to overcome this inertia of two losses, which we have done in this game and we want to continue this momentum and we want to play this brand of cricket consistently,” he said.

Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard (Image Credit: Twitter)

According to Harshal Patel, who has played 64 first-class games, his stock ball is the hard-length delivery.

“But many times, the game dictates something else, like in Sharjah I try to bowl more slower balls, in Abu Dhabi when we had played, I had 80 per cent quick deliveries. So, I always let the situations dictate what I am going to bowl, rather than thinking that I am a fast bowler and I need to bowl (more) quicker or slower balls without getting into the game. My stock ball is the one which the situation dictates,” he explained.

He also said that the wicket of swashbuckling West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard was ‘very satisfactory’.

“Because it was a bluff because we had planned in the meeting, that a batsman like Pollard, can set up by bowling wide, and then you can bowl a yorker at the heel, which he might miss. So, at that time, I felt that I (was) bowling the slower ball well and my square-leg was up, so rather than bowling a fast-paced yorker at its heel, I tried to ball a bit slow and that bowl was well bowled and he missed it,” he added.

According to Harshal Patel, he didn’t expect such ‘a one-sided affair’ against the defending champions. Harshal Patel, who is the purple cap holder for taking most wickets in IPL 2021 so far, said he felt confident about his body and skill right now.

“Last three years have been a breakthrough for me because some people bloom late and I consider myself to be one of those people, I definitely bloomed late,” the 30-year-old said.

“I am at a place in my career right now that I am feeling very confident about my body, my skill and whatever situation I will be put in, I’ll just try and make a positive impact and I know for a fact that I have the skills to do that,” he signed off.

Glenn Maxwell scored a quickfire 56, guiding RCB to 165-6, and then his off-spin got two key wickets, including skipper Rohit Sharma, for 43, to bowl out Mumbai for 111 in 18.1 overs in Dubai. Next, Harshal Patel flattened Mumbai’s batting with his medium-pace bowling as he sent back Hardik Pandya (3), Kieron Pollard (7), and Rahul Chahar (0) to get his first IPL hat-trick and return figures of 4-17.
Royal Challengers Bangalore 165 for 6 (Maxwell 56, Kohli 51, Bumrah 3-36) beat Mumbai Indians 111 (Rohit 43, Harshal 4-17, Chahal 3-11) by 54 runs.
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