Krunal Pandya's Innovative Bowling Tactics Impress Dinesh Karthik Ahead of RCB vs DC Clash
Krunal Pandya's Impact on RCB's Title Defense
Dinesh Karthik has expressed high regard for Krunal Pandya, highlighting the all-rounder's significant contributions to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they prepare for their upcoming match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 27 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Karthik believes that Pandya will be remembered in the sport for his unique skills.
Karthik discussed how Krunal has developed as a left-arm spinner, particularly noting his innovative approach of delivering short-pitch balls, which sets him apart. His distinctive sling action allows him to bowl at impressive speeds, exceeding 120 km/h. Karthik remarked that such deliveries were unimaginable just a few years ago. He commended Krunal's cricketing intelligence, stating that he employs this tactic judiciously rather than arbitrarily. "Krunal Pandya is a player that this game is going to remember for a long time. He's doing something that has not been done before, pushing the boundaries of what finger-spinner means. He's bowling deliveries that people really couldn't fathom a few years ago and he's becoming a master at it and he's using it very cleverly when the situation demands and he's using that as a strength of his to put pressure back on the person that he's bowling against."
Karthik also noted the mental aspect of Krunal's game, emphasizing that he doesn't just use these tactics for show; he understands when to apply them to create uncertainty for the batsman, often leading to favorable outcomes.
Krunal has sparked a trend among finger-spinners, as seen when Mitchell Santner employed a similar short ball tactic against Shivam Dube during a recent match between MI and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium.
Krunal Pandya Discusses His Short Ball Strategy
Following RCB's victory over MI, Krunal elaborated on his new delivery style, explaining that he felt compelled to innovate due to the current batting-friendly nature of the game. He pointed out that the introduction of the impact player rule and the prevalence of flat pitches have made it challenging for finger spinners. "I have never shied away from trying different and new things. Because if you see with the impact player rule, previously, without an impact player, you had a number six all-rounder, a number seven all-rounder. Batsmanship was quite different, but now having 8 pure batters, plus the skill set. You see the young boys like Mukul, Vaibhav, so many of them are just coming and hitting from ball one consistently," Krunal stated.
"As a bowler, I always want to be one step ahead, both in terms of skill and mental strategy. It has purely come from that. Whether it is me bending my knee and bowling that ball or a bouncer. I am glad that it is coming out well and hope that in this format, there are finger spinners who will survive and who can take something out of it. And do well in this format. Because for finger spinner with having flat tracks has 8 batters, it has become very difficult. So yeah, I am glad that I have been able to contribute in a nice way," he added.
Krunal also mentioned that his decision to bowl a short delivery is instinctive, rather than premeditated. "I am someone who follows my gut. I don’t pre-plan that I want to bowl a 4th or 5th or 6th ball bouncer. There are days where I will bowl two bouncers back to back, and suddenly I will bowl first ball and a 6th ball. So there are no such plans that I want to bowl. But yeah, it is more sort of a gut feeling when to bowl which ball, and I just commit 100% to that," he concluded.