IPL 2020: ‘We want to get better as the tournament progresses’ – Delhi Capitals’ Harshal Patel

Delhi Capitals’ pacer Harshal Patel has had two good outings so far in the Indian Premier League. Patel had an injury-prone 2019 IPL but he has proven to be an able performer this year by picking up two wickets in two games. The Haryana cricketer has proven to be a more than handy player as the fifth bowling option at Delhi Capitals.

Delhi Capitals are sitting on second position of the IPL points table as they have won four matches out of their first five. Only Mumbai Indians are above them but MI have played an extra game. Harshal Patel spoke to Delhi Capitals and the press about the team and his own performances.

‘Don’t want to get complacent’ – Harshal Patel

Speaking ahead of Delhi Capitals’ game against Rajasthan Royals at Sharjah on Friday, Harshal Patel said, “I think every team in the IPL is extremely competitive, and that’s why the quality of cricket is unparalleled. So when it comes to players like Jos Buttler, Steve Smith or (Sanju) Samson, you just have to focus on executing your skill. You do the planning in your team meetings, and when you get onto the field – it’s all about execution.”

Harshal Patel was honest about his own performances when he said, “It has been on par – to be honest, last match I felt I could have executed and planned a little better. But these things are part and parcel of the game, and you do get better as you keep playing. So, I’m hopeful I’m going to rectify those mistakes of the last game and continue to deliver the performances that I expect out of myself.”

On being asked about how his team can improve, Patel said, “We’re just talking about how we can get better – even though the last game we put on quite a clinical performance but the conversation has always been around what else we can do to get better, what else we can do to close out the small mistakes that we’re making.”

“We just want to get better as the tournament progresses. Everyone who’s been around in the IPL knows that the second half of IPL is one of the most difficult parts of the tournament. So we don’t want to get complacent, don’t want to relax – we just want to keep our focus and try to get better by putting in the efforts,” added Patel.

Since Sharjah is known to be a paradise for batsmen, Patel said, “Whenever you’re playing in a high-scoring game, you just have to be on top of your game all 24 balls that you bowl. The margin for error is very little, and at the same time you know that it’s going to be a high-scoring game – so it does take a little bit of pressure off of you, because you know everybody’s going to go for runs.”

“So you can be a little more relaxed in terms of your approach towards the game and just focus on executing whatever the batsman does – if he hits you off a good length, then you just have to accept that and move on,” added the 29-year-old.

On being asked about Delhi Capitals’ game after the one against Rajasthan Royals, i.e. Mumbai Indians which could be a top of the table clash, Harshal said he wasn’t looking too far ahead. “It’s too early to talk about the Mumbai Indians game, because we have one more match (against Rajasthan) before that, and the points table is always going to be dynamic. All we have to focus on as a team is how we are preparing and how we’re executing our skills on the field. And if we take care of that aspect, then the points table is going to take care of itself,” he signed off.

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