Virat Kohli is a bowler’s captain and he supports the bowlers – Hattrick hero Harshal Patel

IPL 2021’s Purple Cap holder has suddenly turned into a sensation, with fans all over the globe obsessed with his yesterday’s performance.Harshal Patel bagged a hattrick against the most successful IPL franchise– Mumbai Indians.This performance just proved that Patel’s phenomenal run in this IPL hasn’t been a mere fluke.It has been the result of him working over his craft.

In an interview,talking about how important it is for the captain to support his bowlers,especially in T20s, Harshal Patel talked about Virat Kohli,stating that he is a “bowler’s captain.”

Harshal Patel talks about Virat

“It has been said many times that he (Virat Kohli) is a bowler’s captain and he backs the bowlers, and obviously it is an important thing because one thing is to have the ability to do it, to have the confidence to do it. But once a couple of games go here and there, then you will have that self doubt in your head… a little bit.

And if you have people around you – the coaches, the captain – if you have people around you back you to and fro, then things definitely become easier.

“And that is what Virat does. Even after conceding 37 runs in that over (against CSK), he was okay with it. He knew that I bowled three overs before that for 14 runs and picked three wickets.

Anybody can have a bad day. The environment has been very supportive, Virat himself has been very supportive, and that is what you need in a captain. I also lead Haryana, so I know what to sort of provide when things are not going well… as a captain,” he added.

Game against DC in Ahmedabad my personal favorite – Patel

On being asked his favorite performance of this year’s IPL, Patel stated that his death overs bowling against two renowned power-hitters of the world – Hetmyer and Pant- was his favorite.

“One thing that people probably would have overlooked is this year’s game against Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad where I bowled two overs in the death to Hetmyer and Rishabh, and only conceded two boundaries – of which one was a misfield – and we ended up defending a very chaseable total.

“A lot of people didn’t realize that it was a big performance, the numbers didn’t suggest because I had conceded 36 runs in four overs and picked up two wickets. But for me, it was very important because I executed all the yorkers I had bowled in those two death overs which I wanted to bowl. I bowled I think eight yorkers out of 10. So that was pretty special, under pressure and that too defending against Rishabh and Hetmyer.”

Talking about his yorkers and variations, the 30-year-old said, “My focus this year was bowling a lot of yorkers and mixing it up with a lot of loopy slower balls, so the batsman is ready for the quick yorker, and when you bowl that delivery, he is sort of deceived with the pace and the yorker dips on you.

So if you get a batsman out that way, you completely fool them. It gives you a lot of confidence, a lot of satisfaction.”