Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Anuj Rawat has opened up about his stressful first encounter with Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Virat Kohli at the non-striking end.
In the 18th match of the 2022 Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on Mumbai Indians on April 9 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
Going into the first over, Mumbai Indians did a decent job and riding on the back of Suryakumar Yadav’s brilliant 68 as well as 26s from Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma, they posted 151/6 runs on the board.
When Royal Challengers Bengaluru came out to chase, Faf du Plessis failed to bowl well and was unable to get going. However, his opening partner Anuj Rawat batted exceptionally well against Mumbai Indians and after 8 overs, they were on a score of 50, with Rawat doing most of the scoring.
Rawat continued to bat brilliantly in the innings and scored 66 runs off 47 balls, with 2 fours and 6 sixes. He was involved in an 80-run partnership with Virat Kohli, who scored 48 off 36 balls and took RCB closer to victory. In the end, RCB won the match by 7 wickets.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Anuj Rawat during his innings as he faced top spinner Jasprit Bumrah with 200 per cent nerves.
Speaking about that clash with Jasprit Bumrah, Anuj Rawat revealed that RCB coach Sanjay Bangar helped him prepare to deal with the threat of the star fast bowler.
“Before that match against Mumbai Indians, our coach Sanjay [Bangar] The gentleman had already sounded me out. He said, “Agar Bumrah aaya, kya lagta hai, kya ball daalega? Kya karega? (What do you think Bumrah will bowl to you? What will he do?)”. I said, “He will bowl at full speed, with the required length to hit the ball.”
“He said ‘Yes’ and literally that was the ball he bowled to me. He aimed for my legs but I moved it away and got a couple of runs,” Anuj Rawat told India’s U-19 World Cup winner Manjot Kalra on his podcast.
Also Read: IND vs BAN: Watch: Yuzvendra Chahal locks down Wayne Madsen for a peach, sends strong message to selectors with 5-wicket haul
I was nervous for sure, I would say 200 percent. – Anuj Rawat on Jasprit Bumrah
The wicketkeeper-batsman said the half-century against Mumbai Indians off Virat Kohli gave him a huge confidence boost.
“As far as the knock is concerned, the fifty gave me a lot of confidence and what made it special was that when I came there, Virat Kohli was at the non-striking end. I had already played 3-4 matches before that but the comfort level improved and you know that we belong here now.”
Meanwhile, Anuj Rawat said that even after preparing to face Bumrah, he felt very bad seeing the bowler running. It is noteworthy that Rawat scored 7 runs, excluding 2 leg-spinners, from 10 deliveries bowled to him by Bumrah.
“I had never faced him before. It was the first time. I was nervous for sure, probably 200 per cent I would say. Like I said, Sanjay had already prepared me so I was calm but still, when you see Bumrah coming in, it affects you a bit,” Anuj Rawat added.