IPL 2020
“KL Rahul, also has runs against us in the last games … We know he is a dynamic player, he scores all over the field” – Bond © BCCI
Despite the slow nature of some of the courses, the longer boundaries in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the average score of around the 150 mark in the UAE, some important totals have been posted at this IPL. Shane Bond, the bowling coach for the Mumbai Indians, attributed it to an “exceptional throw” while emphasizing the need for precision and consistency when it comes to bowling.
Speaking ahead of Mumbai ‘s game against Kings XI Punjab, which will take place in Abu Dhabi, where Rohit Sharma’s team has played a couple of games, Bond said the ability to adapt quickly will be key to rapid change.
“You have an idea of how he’s going to play given the story, but the fact is, you have to adapt as quickly as you can. However, for us we have a pretty simple theory. We tried to throw seven meters as a group of fast bowls and five meters like a group of spinning pins. And we practice those lengths consistently. So regardless of the field, the conditions, in general, if you’re in and around those areas, you’re in the right place. Then it really comes down to … you have to change your pace, it has to be a little wider or straighter, depending on the field, conditions, limits, etc. The basic bowling plan that we enter is the bowling attack and then we adjust as fast as you can.
Facing Kings XI in their next game, Mumbai is aware of the great challenge ahead, which comes in the form of KL Rahul. With scores of 94, 71 *, 100 * in his last three games against Mumbai, Rahul has not been an easy hitter for bowlers. Rahul’s current form will also be a concern for Mumbai, as Kings XI’s new patron enters this game with scores of 69 and 132 * against Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. With Mayank Agarwal also fresh out of a century against the Royals, the Mumbai bowling alley will have the work cut out.
“KL Rahul, he also has runs against us in the last games … we know that he is a dynamic player, he scores all over the field. We also know that he takes his time in general in the intermediates, so maybe it is an opportunity, yes it goes so far, of creating some pressure on him and the hitters in and around him, “Bond said. “But we’ll have specific ideas of how we’re going to get him out. In the end, we just can’t allow him to score in areas where he’s very strong. He scores well above the extra coverage, the recovery above the good leg.
“We have a quality bowling unit so we have to put pressure on him and Mayank, who have been the two key hitters for Kings XI, (they) have played brilliantly so far. So if we can build some pressure and get to those guys early and put a little more pressure on that early medium order, then hopefully we can restrict them to one score or stop them scoring runs that we have on the board. I think we’re reasonably confident with our batting line – they’ve put good runs on the board so far. In every game we’ve played, it’s a difficult batting order to stop. Also, we’ve played on this field twice, so we know what to expect with the conditions. It should help us a bit, “he said. .
Bond also weighed in on the issue that the yorker is not used effectively in this IPL, noting that the margin of error is very less when it comes to yorkers. “I think the yorker is just one of the many balls that fast pitchers have in the arsenal. I think if you look at the field that we play most of the time in Abu Dhabi, it has really big square limits and is on the side slower. So you could argue that the long ball or slow bounce is more difficult to hit for a six rather than taking the field, missing a yorker, and getting hit over his head. Definitely not It’s a ball that you just saw Bumrah’s bowl in AB de Villiers, you missed it (yorker) and they hit you a couple of sixes, but you came back to that in the Super Over and they executed it brilliantly.
“Look, it’s a difficult ball to hit under pressure, and also if you miss it, the probability of it being hit by a boundary above your head is higher. We have a wide variety of different balls that we have, we look at the hitters, We analyze where they score in the back of the game, where their preferred zones are, and we try to make it as difficult as possible, with an element of unpredictability. So the batsman is not sure what length or line the bowler is throwing, and has a field that gives the bowler the option of throwing two or three different balls, “said Bond.
© Cricbuzz
