Harpreet Brar broke the back of the RCB chase with his first two IPL wickets off consecutive balls, that had the names of Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell on them.
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Punjab Kings’ spin-bowling all-rounder Harpreet Brar received a lot of praise and appreciation after accounting for the dismissals of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers in a league encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) during the first half of IPL 2021. Brar has credited head coach Anil Kumble for the same, revealing how his advice ‘keep it simple and stick to your basics,’ boosted his confidence.
“It was my fourth match for the Punjab Kings. I had only played in three games before that in two seasons and had failed to get any wicket. So, there was a bit of nervousness, but gentle advice from Anil Kumble boosted my confidence. Anil Kumble has a soft corner for the spinner. Before the match, we (spinners) were practicing in the nets. He came to me and said, keep it simple, Brar, stick to your basics,” he said in an interaction with India Today.
“He told me ‘every bowler has a spot, where he wants to pitch every ball, be it a finger spinner wrist-spinner or for that matter a fast bowler. So just keep landing your balls in that area and you will eventually get the wickets,” added Brar.
The all-rounder termed the dismissal of Virat Kohli as his first IPL wicket as an amazing feeling.
“Getting Virat Kohli as my first wicket was just amazing. I never dreamt about it, and he even hit me for a six and a four on the first two balls of my spell. In the next ball, I removed Glenn Maxwell and took Ab de Villiers wicket as well. It just keeps getting better,” said Brar.
“On the ground, I didn’t feel anything, everyone congratulated me, and we won the match. However, I realized the importance once I got back into the team dressing room,” he added.
Brar played his first IPL match before featuring for the Punjab senior team. He had a difficult journey after playing for Punjab U-16, with the selectors ignoring him consistently.
“My coach Bharati Viz gave me the example of Shubman Gill. He said to me that if you want to play at a bigger stage, you have to perform extraordinarily,” said the cricketer.
Brar took inspiration from his coach’s words, going on to account for 56 dismissals in the 2018-19 CK Nayudu Trophy, the third-highest overall.
The spinner will get an opportunity to learn from English cricketer Adil Rashid who has been signed for the upcoming UAE leg. This startling new development comes on the back of Australian pacer Jhye Richardson’s unavailability for the UAE leg due to injury. Rashid and Nathan Ellis have been named as replacements for Richardson and Riley Meredith who is similarly not available.
The English spinner’s inclusion will certainly bring some much-needed experience to the PKS bowling attack. Rashid is now the third leg spinner in the roster after Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi. He will further enjoy an opportunity to be guided by legendary spinner Anil Kumble, which might well work in his favour going into the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup.
The 33-year-old will be joined by countrymen Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan. Rashid will be available for the entirety of the 2021 IPL campaign.
