“Went with my gut feeling of bowling the bouncer”

Krunal Pandya was sensational last year for RCB in the IPL. His all-round finesse proved instrumental for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they lifted their first IPL crown. He announced his arrival to RCB in stunning fashion by charging at Venkatesh Iyer with a bouncer. A rare spectacle from a left-arm spinner, but it proved to be quite an unsettling moment for Venky. And he was gone the very next ball.

Pandya came in to bowl at a crucial juncture when KKR was emphatically calling the shots. However, his spell tightened the screws and the Knights had no idea what had hit them. He eventually concluded with figures of 4-0-29-3. In an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Pandya opened up on his arrival to RCB and how the wicket of Venkatesh Iyer helped him achieve one of the goals that he set for himself ahead of IPL 2025.

Shedding light on his arrival to RCB and the overall season, Pandya said, “Feels really good that whatever I said in 2022 has come out exactly the way I said it. After 17 years of drought, and then in the 18th season, RCB winning the trophy and me being part of it - I had a decent, tiny contribution to their success - can't ask for more than this. Going forward, I'm still hungry. I feel like this is just the beginning.”

He then shifted his focus to the bouncer that stunned Venky Iyer, stating, “I did bowl bouncers before as well, but not more than a couple in previous seasons. But this IPL [2025], I was very clear that I wanted to use that as a weapon. And it actually comes from a thought process [about] how cricket is evolving, how batsmanship overall is evolving, where the margin [of error] is so small, so as a bowler you have to keep adding new things, new varieties, in your bowling and [seeing] how you can be one step ahead.”

He further added, “So it was not that I just turned up and I bowled a bouncer. It was a very well thought-out plan that I had made getting into the IPL, where I wanted to use that ball. At the start of the season I told our spin-bowling coach, Malolan [Rangarajan], that I want to get a wicket on my bouncer and that's my goal this year. And in the very first game, I had the opportunity. I planned, I just went with my gut feeling on when to bowl [the bouncer].”

KP concluded by saying, “He [Venkatesh Iyer] had played six balls and got runs. Left-handed batter, left-arm spinner, there is a match-up to go against. First ball, I thought he'll be expecting a yorker or a slow ball, normal ball, or a length ball, so I decided, let me just bowl a bouncer first ball. He asked for the helmet and next ball, I got his wicket. I felt like a fast bowler (laughs).”

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