"There were times where I felt I should be dropped" - Harshal Patel on how Haryana Crickat Association backed him when he was young
Pacer Harshal Patel had to wait a long time before getting his breakthrough Indian Premier League (IPL) season and consequently, his India debut. In fact, early in his career, he even had to shift from Gujarat to Haryana.
Speaking about his younger days in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Harshal credited the move to Haryana for his development. He said:
"Back in the day, at the U-19s and even until I was 22-23, I was a very impatient, immature, and outspoken guy. I had no communication skills. The people in Haryana, especially, saw the real person inside all this, gave me a long rope and allowed me to develop on my own. They were extremely patient with me."
Patel was all praise for Anirudh Chaudhary, who was the Haryana Cricket Association boss at the time. He said:
"There were times where I felt I should be dropped, and I'd tell Anirudh Chaudhry sir that. He'd be like, ‘You focus on your game, don't worry about selection.’ But at the time, I'd play a game thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ I wasn't justifying my selection in the team but they kept backing me and giving me games, which eventually led to the cricketer that I've become."
Patel continued:
"He always told me: ‘The amount of work you put in, the amount of intensity you bring, even to the nets or practice games, I haven't seen anybody do that. As long as you keep doing it, it's a matter of understanding your game better, and when you do that, your game will go a couple of notches higher.’ So he has been a tremendous mentor to me."
"I've been a silent observer" - Harshal Patel on learning from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers
Harshal Patel had a great season for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2021, picking up a joint-record 32 wickets. The Haryana cricketer also got to rub shoulders with the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and spoke about the experience. He said:
"I've been a silent observer of them. I don't believe in asking a lot of questions, just seeing them closely, what their routines are, what their body language is under pressure, how they carry themselves when they do well, how they carry themselves when they don't do well."
He went on to add:
"These are the things I learnt from my first big stint with RCB. The one important lesson I took from them was, up or down, you stay neutral. Try and be the person you are, don't look to prove anything to anyone, put the team first. Whether you're playing or not playing, contribute in a positive manner."
Harshal Patel was not retained by RCB and will be available in the IPL 2022 mega auction.