India seamer Harshal Patel grateful to Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid for supporting him during injury layoff – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Team India is all set to feature in the upcoming T20 International series and T20 World Cup with a full strength bowling attack thanks to the return of frontline pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel.

The duo will again don the blue kit after recovering from prolonged injuries. Ahead of the Australia series, Patel talked about the players’ concerns upon returning and thanked his captain, Rohit Sharma and head coach, Rahul Dravid for their unwavering support, in an interaction with ESPNCricinfo. He noted that the constant support from the skipper and the coach helped immensely to take a bit of pressure off him.

IND vs AUS: Hosts look to put Asia Cup disappointment behind as home season gets underway

The 31-year-old pacer has been impressive while bowling in the shortest format of the game. However, an unfortunate rib injury suffered after returning from the England visit had sidelined him till the recently-concluded Asia Cup. He had been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. His absence in the squad came as an opportunity for youngsters Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan during the Asia Cup.

Following this fact, Patel asserted that people occasionally make bad choices while they are getting back into the game. This is because they believe their position is in danger or for another reason, they either strive to do too much or push themselves too far.

“But if you know for sure that the team management will remember what you did before getting injured and that those performances and contributions are remembered. That gives you a sense of comfort or confidence that once you return to the team — obviously you will have to perform again and that goes for every single cricketer that you will hold that position in the team,” Patel added further.

After his commendable performances in the IPL, Patel made his T20I debut for India against New Zealand in 2021. Since then, the right-arm seamer has played 17 matches and collected a total of 23 wickets. Considering his form in IPL, there are many experts who have been predicting him to be a big name for India, especially in the death overs.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.