Delhi Capitals Mukesh Kumar in motion throughout an IPL match.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Ever since the IPL’s 2023 version, Mukesh Kumar has advanced from being a fringe participant to having earned the uncommon distinction of constructing his worldwide debut throughout all three codecs in the similar sequence. Besides, the pacer has been unveiled in a brand new avatar — that of a loss of life overs specialist — by Delhi Capitals.
The method through which Mukesh — who depends on seam as his key arsenal, at least in the red-ball format — is being utilized in a brand new position might have stunned fairly a number of individuals, however the pacer himself was prepared for the problem.
“I was told last season to be prepared for bowling at the death, so I was doing accordingly,” stated Mukesh throughout a round-table chat organised by the franchise.
In an endeavour to improve his expertise, he turned in the direction of Ishant Sharma — his sounding board at DC — whose wealthy expertise helped him develop the “slower ball, knuckle ball and wide yorkers”.
It mirrored in the method through which he caught to his plan of bowling slower balls or low full-tosses to defend 18 runs in the last over and assist Capitals edge previous Gujarat Titans on Wednesday.
Jasprit Bumrah helped Mukesh perceive the efficient use of the yorker.
“I was focusing on yorkers last season but Jassi bhai made me realise that a yorker’s effectiveness depends on the conditions and the pace of the pitch. If it is slightly slower, an attempted yorker may end up landing in the slot, so I am focusing more on the slower ball this season.”
Yorkers by no means exit of vogue in T20 cricket however every IPL version has a flavour of the season when it comes to containing range-hitters.
“Wide yorkers are trending this season but you cannot overdo it upfront and waste the new ball. You have to try for wickets upfront so that’s the risk you take, by bowling in line and risking the batters going after. But it also depends on the conditions as well,” Mukesh stated.
