Was a bit nervous while defending 34 runs off 18 balls: Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel has been one shining light for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last two seasons, having been the purple cap holder in 2021 while being a major cog in the wheel for the ongoing season. 

Entrusted with the responsibility of bowling the 18th over, with LSG needing 34 runs to win the encounter, with KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis at the crease, not only did Patel spend only nine runs, but also managed to dismiss KL Rahul and Krunal Pandya to shut the door on LSG’s face. However, he admitted that he was pretty nervous in the lead-up to the over, and six wides at the start of the over while trying wide yorkers made him nervous as the equation fell in LSG’s favour.

"First of all, yes, I was nervous, there is no doubt about that,” Harshal said in the post-match press conference. “If you are defending 34 off 18 balls, then you're going to be nervous around it, but I knew when I gave away six runs without bowling a ball... gave away those wides, I knew that the wide yorker won't work. So I thought what worked for me in the first two overs, I want to go back to that and give myself the best opportunity to get KL (Rahul) and Stoinis out. Fortunately, I got Stoinis out at the boundary.

"Whenever in their bowling when they bowled short or slower balls, it wasn't coming nicely on to the bat, so that was a clue that I want to bowl short and into the pitch... slow as I can. And then mix it up with a good yorker, good hard length ball. But I knew that the majority of my deliveries would be slower balls on this sort of a wicket because as soon as you gave pace, the wicket made it easy to hit."

So far in the season, Harshal has already bagged 19 wickets to his name to emerge as the mainstay in the camp and his importance is highlighted multiple times in crunch situations. When Faf du Plessis tossed the ball to him to bowl the 18th over, which could have turned the game in the other way around, things would have been dire if he failed. But Harshal’s success landed RCB a place in the qualifier.

"Whether I would be able to deliver or not, I don't really know, I can't say. But I want to be in those situations, there is no doubt about that and I have been wanting to do that for the past 2-3 years, I have been doing that for Haryana, and I wanted to do it at the bigger stage and I will continue to put myself in those situations, sometimes it is going to come off, sometimes it is not going to come off. There will be games where I will end up losing for the team and I am okay with that as long as I don't shy away from challenges."