Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his all-round heroics versus the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Raipur on Sunday, May 10, which helped the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bag two crucial points.
When Bhuvneshwar walked out to bat, RCB needed 10 runs to win in three balls. The veteran seamer lofted a pitched-up delivery over deep cover for a maximum to bring his team on the brink. Bhuvneshwar and Rasikh Salam Dar took their team home on the last delivery as RCB won by two wickets.
Pathan said that Bhuvneshwar anticipated the kind of delivery the bowler would bowl to him and got himself ready to play the big shot.
“The brilliance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. That six on the delivery outside the off stump. Looking at the field placement, Bhuvi himself knew exactly what was coming. From the field setup, it was clear that the yorker was going to be bowled on the wide line. The batter anticipated it, moved outside the off stump early, and then played that unbelievable shot over covers. If that shot had not come off, RCB would 100% not have won the match. So, considering the context of the game and from Bengaluru’s perspective, I think it turned out to be 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 had a crucial role to play with the ball. He picked up four wickets and conceded just 23 runs in four overs. Pathan dissected how the right-arm seamer picked up 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 picked were a complete masterclass. Against Ryan Rickelton, he knew exactly what to do. He bowled on a good length and got him out that way. But the way he set up Rohit Sharma and dismissed him was truly praiseworthy,” Pathan said.
“Rohit had already scored heavily off Josh Hazlewood, he was around 22 runs in nine balls, with a strike rate of over 200. Bhuvneshwar knew that if he tried to bowl normal swing deliveries, he would get stuck. So he bowled off-pace deliveries and used the knuckleball intelligently. He used the knuckleball very smartly, taking the ball away from Rohit, got the outside edge, and dismissed him. I think, in the context of the game, Rohit looked very comfortable at the crease. When Bhuvneshwar got his wicket, it made the team’s grip on the match much stronger,” he added.
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Bhuvneshwar is the current Purple Cap holder with 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 15.29 and an economy rate of 7.47.
