To do well against best performers gives me lot of satisfaction: Parth Bhut on stellar Irani Cup 2023 performance
After a successful Ranji Trophy 2022/23 season with Saurashtra, left-arm spinner Parth Bhut produced a sensational individual effort during the Irani Cup 2023 game against Rest of India (ROI) recently.
Although Saurashtra didn't win the game, Bhut picked up 12 wickets in all and showed brilliant control and consistency in his line and length. For any domestic player, the Irani Cup is arguably a level higher than the Ranji Trophy given that one competes with the best among the rest.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, here's what Parth Bhut had to say about his fantastic performance against ROI (5/94 & 7/53):
"I am looking at this performance quite positively as it is quite a big game for any domestic player. Rest of India team is made up of the best performers of the season and to do well against them gives me a lot of happiness and satisfaction."
Most of the wickets picked up by Parth Bhut were of set batters like Hanuma Vihari and even Sai Sudharsan, whom he dismissed in both innings. Speaking about his thought process during the game, Bhut added:
"In four-day cricket, you need to show a lot of patience. It is not that you are going to dismiss everyone in one or two overs. You need to remain patient and just focus on the areas you want to hit so I just concentrated on bowling tight lines and restricting the runs and that helped me pick up wickets."
While Saurashtra did give away the initiative and a 94-run lead to ROI after the first innings, it was Bhut's incredible seven-wicket haul that kept them in the game. On this, he said:
"The ball was turning a lot more in the second innings compared to the first. We knew that they had a healthy lead and we need to restrict them to as low a score as possible. It was difficult for the new batter to adjust to the pitch conditions, and that’s what I took advantage of, building the pressure and picking up wickets in heaps."
Parth Bhut on the changes in his bowling
Parth Bhut realized that despite having a successful season, he had to take his game to the next level to perform well in the Irani Cup. Here's what he had to say about his routine during the off-season:
"During the off-season I worked a lot on my run-up and my trajectory. I focused on the areas I needed to hit and it really helped me so happy with that."
Bhut's 12-fer keeps him in good stead ahead of the upcoming season where he will gear up first for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.