First, he came in for some harsh treatment from Dinesh Karthik. Then, at the death, JP Duminy spoilt his figures to 27 runs off 2.3 overs. Piyush Chawla is in a self-assessment mode, and his team has chipped in with inputs.
Chawla realised he was rushing through his run-up, sending down deliveries faster than he usually does. The googly is too hustled up to be effective. Leading up to the match against the Royal Challengers on Thursday, Chawla’s biggest test lies against the most explosive batting line-up. If Chris Gayle is drafted into the side, the task will get tougher.
Knight Riders’ coach, Trevor Bayliss, and bowling coach, Wasim Akram, know the role Chawla is going to play on a ground which is smaller is size than the other two IPL venues in the UAE.
What made it easier for Karthik and Duminy was the easy pace at which Chawla was bowling, the flight and rip was clearly missing.
The role Chawla played against the Mumbai Indians gave way to a defensive approach against the Daredevils.
On Tuesday, Chawla was ironing out the chinks at the nets —bowling slow through the air, and his deliveries carried a lot of loop. He also operated in a simulated match scenario, bowling from well behind the popping crease, almost from where the umpire stands.
{{/usCountry}}On Tuesday, Chawla was ironing out the chinks at the nets —bowling slow through the air, and his deliveries carried a lot of loop. He also operated in a simulated match scenario, bowling from well behind the popping crease, almost from where the umpire stands.
{{/usCountry}}Take it easy
The tactics are clearly to slow down and take pace off the pitch, forcing the RCB batsmen to manufacture shots. Yusuf Pathan and Shakib al Hasan too stuck to a similar brief — be slower through the air.
However, the brief from Akram to his seamers was a little different. Knowing that RCB have three left-handers in the top order — Parthiv Patel, Yuvraj Singh and Gayle, the KKR bowling was focused on keeping a tight channel, bowling on to their thighs from round the wicket.
In Vinay Kumar, Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav, Jacques Kallis, Pat Cummins, Shakib, Sunil Narine and Chawla, the team has varied bowling options.
The match, in many ways, will be a battle between the best batsmen against a versatile bowling attack.