Irfan Pathan praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his all-round performance against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Raipur on Sunday, May 10, which helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) secure two crucial points.
When Bhuvneshwar came out to bat, RCB needed 10 runs to win in three balls. The experienced seamer delivered a pitched-up delivery over deep cover to bring his team to the brink. Bhuvneshwar and Rasikh Salam Dar gave victory to their team on the last ball and gave RCB victory by two wickets.
Pathan said that Bhuvneshwar had an idea of what kind of ball the bowler would bowl to him and he prepared himself to play the big shot.
“Brilliant from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. That six on the ball outside the off stump. Looking at the field placement, Bhuvi himself knew what was going to happen. From the field setup, it was clear that the yorker was going to be bowled over the wide line. The batsman anticipated it, went early outside the off stump, and then played that incredible shot over cover. If that shot had not come, RCB would not have won the match 100%. So, consider the context of the game And from Bengaluru's perspective, I think it became a very memorable day for Bhuvneshwar Kumar,” Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
He played a very important role in winning this match: Irfan Pathan on Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar also played an important role with the ball. He took four wickets and gave only 23 runs in four overs. Pathan told how the right-arm fast bowler took the wickets of Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar, boss, you have to give it to him. He played a very important role in winning this match. The four wickets he took were absolute masterclasses. Against Ryan Rickelton, he knew exactly what to do. He bowled good lengths and got him out that way. But the way he set up Rohit Sharma and got him out was really commendable,” Pathan said.
“Rohit had already scored heavily off Josh Hazlewood, scoring almost 22 runs from nine balls with a strike rate of over 200. Bhuvneshwar knew that if he tried to bowl normal swing balls, he would be trapped. So he bowled off-speed balls and used the knuckleball intelligently. He used the knuckleball very smartly, took the ball away from Rohit, took the outside edge and got him out. I think, in terms of the game, Rohit looked very comfortable at the crease, which strengthened the team's hold on the match.
Bhuvneshwar is the current Purple Cap holder with 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 15.29 and economy rate of 7.47.
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