Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel, who returned with stunning figures of 5/27 against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) opener in Chennai, on Tuesday said that he is happy to see the captains of the tournament handing responsibility to uncapped Indian players at crucial moments.
“I want to be a bowler who takes responsibility for his side. Instead of being a burden, I consider this as a privilege,” Patel, who has been playing IPL since 2012, said in an interaction with the media on Tuesday.
“It is good that Kohli has designated the role for me as clarity in your role is always good. It helps mentally and skill-wise while you prepare for any game. It is a good trend captains are realising that even uncapped Indian bowlers can take responsibility in crunch situations in IPL games,” said Patel.
Patel, who has featured in 49 IPL matches so far, has scalped 51 wickets with an economy rate of 8.69 runs per over.
He meanwhile, also said that he started to work on his batting after 2018 as he had realised that franchises don’t take pure bowlers such as him seriously.
“Till 2018, people didn’t take a lot of interest in me because they saw me as a bowler. I took it as an insult and started working on my batting also. I am not someone who is technically sound but if I can score runs in difficult situations and prove my worth as an all-rounder, I will be happy,” Patel expressed.