IPL 2021: “He almost reminded me of Dwayne Bravo” – Carlos Brathwaite heaps praise on hat-trick hero Harshal Patel 

West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite has said that Harshal Patel’s slower deliveries reminded him of Dwayne Bravo. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer’s exhibition of slow deliveries helped him claim a hat-trick in their win over Mumbai Indians (MI).

Patel was roped in by the RCB in the trade window as a specialist death bowler and he has lived up to the task. He currently holds the purple cap and extended the lead at the top with three wickets against the defending champions.

Brathwaite noted how Bravo deceives batsmen with a quick-arm action right and feels Harshal Patel did the same to his advantage. He reserved praise for Patel’s bravery and execution against the likes of acclaimed death hitters like Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard.

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While speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Brathwaite said:

“What I love is how brave he was. He went for the slower, wide yorker and almost reminded me of Dwayne Bravo three years ago. The way he got the ball to come out of his hand, quick arm speed and then got the ball to dip.

“Pollard’s wicket was the most beautiful of the three wickets in my opinion. I don’t want to be predictable again, keep the same field, and I am still going to bowl a slower ball, not a wide yorker, and I am going to hit leg stump. You must give Harshal Patel 10 out of 10 for bravery and execution.”

Harshal Patel picked up the wickets of Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Rahul Chahar off successive deliveries to seal the RCB’s win. This win keeps them in third spot in the table while MI are seventh after three consecutive losses in the second leg.

Harshal Patel is almost like a spinner with a long run-up: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said Harshal Patel is a fine exponent of bowling slow deliveries. He feels that Patel is like a spinner with several skills under his arsenal, bowling with a long run-up similar to a fast bowler. He said:

“If you watch Harshal Patel bowl and especially in the second half, the seam up delivery is rarely bowled by him, he is not a quick bowler. Bravo will, om occasion, bowl the yorker with the seam up straight. He is almost like a spinner with a lot of skills bowling off a very long run up. On certain kind of pitches when the team is under pressure.”

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Harshal Patel is leading the way in the purple cap race with 23 wickets to his name. Avesh Khan is eight wickets behind in second place.