The HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala turned out to be a batter’s paradise when India and Sri Lanka locked horns in the 2nd T20I on Saturday. Bowlers of both teams were received harsh treatments as it rained four and sixes throughout the game.
One such bowler was Harshal Patel who had a tough outing against the Lankans on Saturday. Considered as one of India’s finest death bowlers, the right-arm quick had an off day as he conceded 52 runs in his spell. He bagged an early wicket, of opener Kamil Mishara, but struggled in the latter half of the game. After giving away 15 runs in his first two overs, Patel conceded 19 and 23 runs respectively in the last two – 18th and 20th – as the tourists set a 184-run target for India.
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Former India pacer Zaheer Khan observed that the trajectory of balls hit in the air by a bowler was changed due to the higher altitude. Speaking with Cricbuzz, he advised Patel to ‘fine-tune’ his slower deliveries according to Dharamsala’s condition without changing his execution.
“When you are bowling those kinds of slower-ones they have to be spot on and the dip also has to be there. Dharamshala is a high-altitude ground as well so the ball also travels differently. Like you are seeing with sixes traveling the distance – it’s the same while bowling as well,” Zaheer told Cricbuzz.
“Whether it’s a yorker or a slower one, you might need that little bit of adjustment which Harshal needs to do. I don’t see it as an issue in terms of execution of things or how he’s approaching his bowling. It’s more of a fine-tuning with regard to the conditions. Maybe add that altitude aspect and see how you can do things differently,” he added.
India successfully chased down the target with 17 balls to spare and won the match by 7 wickets. With the series already in pocket, the hosts are likely to check their bench strength when they return to the same venue for the final encounter on Sunday.
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