IPL 2021: My role with the bat is to get as many boundaries as I can, says Harshal

Chennai - Harshal delivered a stunning performance against MI

The Royal Challengers Bangalore all-rounder Harshal Patel said apart from his job with the ball, he also knows his role as a batsman and he admitted that he would be expected to hit as many boundaries as he can.

Harshal had delivered a stunning bowling performance before AB de Villiers’ masterclass took RCB home against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening game of the IPL. Harshal had picked five wickets (three in the final over) to restrict Rohit Sharma’s side to 159. In the end, Harshal went on to score the winning runs for his franchise.

“Obviously, whenever I am going to bat, I am going to bat in the situation I encountered in the first game, it is always going to be a crunch situation. My role is to get as many boundaries as I can. But this role changes according to the situation of the game. In the last game, for example, AB de Villiers was batting alongside me, my job was to give him a single, all is dependent on the situation of the game and you react to it,” said Harshal.

“I was just watching the ball when we needed one run on the final delivery against Mumbai. I knew my instincts would take over if I watch the ball closely. If you have a lot of things on your mind before the ball is bowled then you sort of get confused and you do not execute what you want to. Whenever I bowl or bat, my focus is on watching the ball or hitting the areas I want to,” he added.

• IPL 2024