‘A bowler should understand and back his strengths’ – Kuldeep Yadav on batter’s assault in IPL 2024

Kuldeep Yadav. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

In the high-octane setting of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where big scores and explosive hitting have become the standard, bowlers find themselves in a challenging position. Despite pitches slowing down, leading to soaring totals, the advantage has distinctly shifted towards the batters.

Amid this fierce competition, veteran spinner Kuldeep Yadav has called for bowlers to stand firm and display bravery. Hence he wanted bowlers to let the batters take more risks than try to pull things back by bowling a defensive line or just give up while being slaughtered by the batters which has mostly been the case in the ongoing IPL 2024. Besides, the impact player rule has paved the way for teams to gain an extra batter to their advantage.

“Every team is now trying to attack in the powerplay and score as many runs as possible, It slows down a bit in the middle overs because of the open field, so the batters are playing more freely in the powerplay. Those days are gone when teams used to target 45-50 runs in the powerplay. But I think the bowlers must show more courage. If a batter goes for the attack, then a bowler also has more chances of taking wickets,” Yadav was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

“I feel that the bowlers are trying more to read the batters’ mind instead of sticking to their strengths. They are trying to bowl where the batter looks a little weak. But I think a bowler should understand his strengths and back his strengths,” emphasizing the need for bowlers to trust their strengths rather than overthink against batters, Kuldeep added.

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You can see Jasprit Bumrah, the way he bowls, any batter is on the back foot: Kuldeep

While some bowlers face challenges, Jasprit Bumrah stands out as a shining example of resilience. Bumrah not only picks up wickets with his exceptional skills. Moreover, the fiery pacer also asserts mental dominance over batters while bowling.

“You can see Jasprit Bumrah, who backs his strengths. The way he bowls, any batter is on the back foot. He dominates the batters mentally. All these things become very important,” he continued.

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Despite the hurdles encountered, Kuldeep persevered through challenges, maintaining faith in his skills. He emphasized that confidence is key, allowing one to face any situation, including the powerplay, with readiness and determination. Looking forward, Kuldeep aims to make an impact with the bat as well, inspired by encouragement from Rohit Sharma.

“Rohit bhai was concerned about my batting. I worked on it during the Test series against England [at home earlier this year] and he was impressed by my hard work. He used to be with me in the nets and speak to me about batting. This helped me a lot and now I am enjoying my batting as much as my bowling,” Yadav concluded.