After years of hard work in the domestic circuit and a remarkable performance in IPL 2021, Harshal Patel finally has India’s cap. He made his T20I debut against World Cup runners-up New Zealand on Friday night and made a player of the match performance.
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The right-arm medium pacer scored 2/25 in his four overs and both his wickets came at a time when New Zealand were threatening to pile on runs.
He first neutralized Derry Mitchell’s threat in the 12th over and then when Glenn Phillips started his six-hitting spree, Herschel struck again to show the way to the dug-out.
It was a memorable start for the 30-year-old, who still has to accept the reality that he now has an international cap against his name. “It will sink in and it’s been a great game,” Harshal said during a post-match presentation following India’s seven-wicket win in Ranchi.
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“I couldn’t have asked for a better debut than this,” he said.
Ahead of his first international match, Harshal was loaded with experience of 117 T20Is and is a regular feature in the IPL, his best performance so far in the latest season as he won the Purple Cap as the highest wicket-taker. is given to the person.
During the season, he took a memorable hat-trick against five-time champions Mumbai Indians and finished with 32 wickets – the joint highest in an IPL season.
Harshal says that he is not a talented bowler and he had to work really hard to make his dream come true. “Progress is gradual and slow. For someone like me who isn’t exceptionally talented, I had to up my game from the ground up. I made mistakes and then found things that I can and cannot do well. It has been a wonderful journey and it has taught me many lessons which will keep me in good shape even after cricket.”
On what works for him, he said, “I think you don’t need too many variations. You just need to know what works for you and package it well.”
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