T20 World Cup 2022: "How KL Rahul will score runs" - Harbhajan Singh on India's focus areas for clash vs South Africa
Harbhajan Singh feels getting KL Rahul to score runs should be one of India's focus areas in their T20 World Cup 2022 clash against South Africa.
The two sides will lock horns in a Group 2 Super 12 game in Perth on Sunday, October 30. Rahul, who has looked tentative at the crease, will hope to play a substantial knock in the encounter after having managed just 13 runs in his two innings thus far.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Harbhajan was asked about India's focus areas ahead of the game against South Africa. He responded:
"The focus will be on what can be done better in the upcoming matches. KL Rahul is unable to score runs, so how KL Rahul will score runs, and how to tackle this pitch. This is a slightly spicy pitch."
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Harbhajan added that the Indian batters will also have to alter their game slightly. The former India spinner explained:
"The South Africans will be judging themselves better because they know no one has the pace they have. They will try to destroy the Indian team's batting with their pace. So it will be important to know how to tackle the bounce because some shots that were being played in Sydney will not work here."
The Indian team practiced in Perth and played a couple of matches against a Western Australian XI before heading to Brisbane for their two warm-up games. The time spent on these bouncy tracks should hold them in good stead for Sunday's game against the Proteas.
"His stature will get doubled in such conditions" - Harbhajan Singh on Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Harbhajan was further asked about the bowling strategy India should adopt. He replied:
"Whichever team bowls well on this pitch will win the match. India have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who swings the ball, and his stature will get doubled in such conditions. Along with him, we have Arshdeep who is also fast and swings the ball. The Indian team will depend a lot on these two players because the new ball is very important here."
Harbhajan wants Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh to bowl as many overs as possible with the new ball. The cricketer-turned-commentator said:
"If Bhuvneshwar Kumar is bowling well, his four overs should be completed at the top. Similarly, if Arshdeep is bowling well, get the maximum overs out of him. If you get four top-order wickets, anyone can bowl in the end."
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has bowled 30 dot balls from 7 overs in the T20 World Cup 2022.
It will be interesting to see if the conditions in Perth favor swing bowling. Bowlers who tend to hit the deck hard have traditionally enjoyed greater success on that pitch due to the extra bounce on offer.