Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya stated that in order for bowlers to remain competitive, they must quickly adapt and add more diversity to their craft due to the IPL’s contemporary batters’ amazing hitting strength.
Since 2016, Pandya has been observing this change and is aware of how the league has developed into a power-driven, high-intensity spectacle.
“If you follow the IPL closely over the last 10 years, the striking ability of batters has changed drastically. Today, power-hitting is constantly evolving. The new-age batters coming in have an insane ability to clear the ropes with ease,” PTI quoted Pandya as saying on JioStar.
“So as a bowler, I have realised that you have to add variety to your bowling arsenal. You must stay one step ahead of the batter. That is how bowling bouncers and yorkers came into the process,” added Pandya, who has taken nine wickets this season and surpassed the IPL’s century wicket threshold overall.
Despite being a spinner, Pandya, who previously played for the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, claimed he has managed to remain relevant in a tournament designed for batters by relying on bouncers.
“It was not that I suddenly woke up one day and started bowling bouncers as a spinner. It was a very well thought out plan, understanding what a bouncer does psychologically to a batter.
“Being a batter myself helps me think like a batter. I always try to stay one step ahead of the batter in terms of thought process and then focus on how to execute my skill,” he added.
Bowling to elite hitters like Heinrich Klaasen and Shreyas Iyer can be intimidating, according to the 35-year-old, but he was able to stick with them by understanding the situation and making adjustments.
“My approach depends on the situation. Sometimes I need to attack, other times I need to choke the runs. My main thought is always about bowling the best possible delivery for that moment.
“Heinrich Klaasen loves taking on spinners. Against batters like him, the better balls you bowl, the more dot balls you create, and the higher your chances of forcing a mistake. You can’t just keep attacking mindlessly.
“Sometimes, when a dangerous batter is at the crease, you have to go for the wicket and take a risk. It all depends on the game situation,” he added.
Pandya stated that he concentrated on attacking their weaker scoring areas when facing players like Iyer, who is at ease against spin.
“Shreyas Iyer is also a very good player of spin. Against quality batters like him, where the margin for error is small, my thinking is always the same: how can I make them hit to their weaker areas?
“For example, if a batter scores easily over covers, how can I force him to hit over mid-wicket? If he likes to slog sweep, how can I make him hit over long off? That has been my game plan against most batters, including Shreyas,” he added.
Pandya stated that he would rather forget about boundary size and concentrate on throwing his best ball on small grounds like Chinnaswamy Stadium, where there is little room for error.
“On grounds like Wankhede or Chinnaswamy, especially Chinnaswamy, the boundaries are small. So, I tell myself that if I bowl a bad ball, it will go for a six, whether it is 80 meters or 50 or 60 meters.
“Sometimes that creates a negative thought when the boundary is small. So, I take the boundary size out of my mind. I know that if I bowl a good ball, the batter won’t be able to hit it even 30 yards. So, I think that way: if I bowl my best ball, they won’t be able to hit me even on a small ground,” he said.
