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Happy with the way Virat is using my skills: Watson
10 May, 2016
Happy with the way Virat is using my skills: Watson
10 May, 2016
With the Kings XI Punjab needing 24 runs from the last two overs and the in-form Marcus Stoinis in the middle with debutant Farhaan Behardien, Shane Watson was handed the ball by his captain to bowl the crucial 19th over. The all-rounder conceded just seven in that over to leave the match precariously poised, but tilted just a tad bit in his team’s favour. With inputs from AB de Villiers he kept the big-hitting South African in check and also maintained a hold on his fellow Australian, thus giving Chris Jordon, who would bowl the last over, enough cushion. Jordan conceded 15 runs in the last over and RCB ended up winning by one run.
With a competitive total on board the match was evenly poised as the KXIP captain, Murali Vijay led from the front. Virat Kohli had the openers separated by Watson, who dismissed Hashim Amla in the Powerplay. Then again, as the opposition threatened to take the game away, he brought back his experienced campaigner who conceded only five runs in the 12th over. And as Vijay unleashed himself to tip the balance in favour of his team, Watson back in the attack, accounted for the opener in the 17th over conceding only three runs to leave the hosts on 139 for four. Back in the penultimate over, he stifled the home team to tip the balance in favour of his team.
Speaking to iplt20.com later, a much relieved Watson spoke about the proceedings that helped clinch a thrilling and timely win which keeps RCB in the race for the playoffs.
Excerpts:
The Last ball finish:
It is a gift to be able to win a game by one run. In these tournaments, in the IPL, you have to fall on the right side of those really close ones to be able to give yourself a chance to make it to the playoffs. So it’s a good starting point we were able to fall on the right side of the game tonight to continue on the momentum that we started in the last game in Bangalore.
On the bowling strategy he employed
The plan changes from batter to batter and from ball to ball. Knowing how the wicket was tonight, it was quite slow, so I changed pace because it was gripping a little bit. So I bowled a lot more of those cutters than the normal sort of speed balls. So that was really the plan – I realised that soon after I got out the way I did earlier in the evening - to keep bowling the variation deliveries. I knew the cutters were going to be very effective tonight and it’s fortunate that most of the time it did.
Spreading the four overs through the innings
Virat has been using me in one over spells early on in the innings and then more towards the back end depending on where it suits the team the most. I am happy to bowl anywhere Virat (needs me). He instils lot of confidence in me, he lets me sort of choose the balls and allows me to set my fields accordingly as well - with his input a lot of the time as well. It’s been great to work under him and he’s using me very nicely. So I’m having a lot of fun doing it.
The conversation and planning with AB de Villiers in the 19th over:
It was more about Behardien. I had played him a little bit but (it was) just understanding under pressure where he was most probably going to go. It is just great to have AB in our team anyway, but someone with his experience (and) he knows Behardien well. So (the chat was) just to try to set up the right field as much as we could to give me a number a ball options that I could bowl to that field.
The crucial 19th over
I think just about every over is very crucial. The way the games pan out if you are able to hold momentum or to get a bit of momentum go your way at any stage - whether it is batting innings or the bowling innings - every over really counts. So I don’t see that (19th) over being any more important than the others that I have bowled throughout the time.
The inputs and the experience of AB, Chris Gayle and Watson in the dressing room
Virat is extremely open to our thoughts and opinions on certain things. He has always got some thoughts and tactically he is very good as well. So to have AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle as starting point as well, with all their experience and knowledge on the game of cricket (is helpful). Virat gets the best out of everything that we have got. So I think we are very privileged here at RCB to have so much of quality experience and knowledge on the game of cricket. So (we’ll) just try and continue to get the best of ourselves.
