With a batting line-up that looked strong on paper but failed on the field, Lucknow Super Giants knew they had a chance to enter the Mumbai Indians batting order defending 200 runs at the Brabourne Stadium. It was filled in by pacer Avesh Khan, who hit twice in the power-play to lay the groundwork for keeping Mumbai short of 18 in their 200-run chase.
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Introduced from the third over, Khan started off by throwing a wide against Rohit Sharma and then thrashed him. Though Sharma hit a boundary through mid-wicket, Khan bounced back for no run and then got Sharma out to the keeper with a short length delivery. Although Khan was pushed on the backfoot in Devald Brevis’ 13-ball 31, but at the end of the power-play, Khan dismissed him straight to cover with a short full toss hit.
He said, ‘Initially the effort was to take wickets because they were playing with six batsmen. Our plan was to take a wicket or two early so that we can top the game. Whatever the team, pitch or venue, if you score 200 runs, the pressure on the scoreboard is on the other team. When we were walking towards the ground, this conversation was happening and talking about doing well on the field and bowling in good areas,” Khan said in the post-match virtual press conference.
There was an advice from their captain KL Rahul when Khan was being sent for a boundary by the young South African batsman. “There is great communication (with the captain). When I was trying to take Brevis’ wicket, he said ‘the length ball is picking up well, you can try it’. I bowled a bouncer and then on a yorker, he was caught at cover. I have very good conversations with the captain in between spells while bowling, which helps a lot.”
The yorker for Brevis was something Khan usually attempted in the death overs, which was seen during his four-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad. At that point, he attempted to dismiss Nicholas Pooran with a yorker, but eventually dismissed him with a high full toss.
He then came close to having a yorker and dismissed Abdul Samad with a full delivery. In the match against Mumbai, Khan showed that he had the ability to bowl yorkers in the power-play or the death overs, which he explains comes from rigorous practice.
“In practice sessions, I try to support my yorkers. I bowl my yorkers with 100% effort even in the practice sessions because there are always situations in a match where you have to bowl yorkers. As a bowler, if you don’t bowl yorkers with 100% effort, it will be a mistake.
“If you miss the yorker, the batsman has a good chance of hitting the ball for the boundary. In the final over of the match or in the death overs, I always try to bowl with my 100 per cent effort and focus on execution that whenever I bowl a yorker, I have to hit a pinpoint yorker or a wide yorker or a stump yorker. it happens. I always try to bowl yorkers on the line.”
During the IPL 2022 mega auction, four franchises wanted him in their side. But Lucknow elevates him above the others. The shift from Delhi to Lucknow hasn’t changed the role of Khan, who is strongly focused on doing well in the future for his new team.
“The role hasn’t changed. I was taking wickets there and will try to take more wickets to help the team win in future matches. You can’t stay in the same franchise when you change from one to the other. I have a good franchise and look to do well in future matches as we have won four out of six matches and will plan for future matches to maintain the (bowling) momentum.
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