CHENNAI: During their Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) right-arm pacer Prince Yadav produced a stunning delivery that left Virat Kohli stunned. The 140.4 kph ball nipped back sharply, went through the gate, and crashed into Kohli's off stump. It was Kohli's first IPL duck since 2023, and he was visibly shocked by the dismissal.
Bowling Coach Bharat Arun's Insights
LSG's bowling coach Bharat Arun revealed that such a delivery is not merely a matter of luck but a result of persistence and skill. "We even spoke about it with Kohli, and he asked, 'how did he bowl that ball?' It's not a very common delivery. I don't think any bowler can produce it at will, but if you consistently work on your swing, it becomes possible. It was a dream delivery," Arun said.
Prince Yadav's Journey
This is the 24-year-old Delhi bowler's second IPL season. In his debut season last year, he played six matches for LSG, picking up three wickets at an economy rate of 9.75. Arun noted that Prince had shown glimpses of his potential even then. "This year during the camps that we had, we discussed his strengths. Under pressure, sometimes a bowler goes blank, but the one who is confident of executing his strengths is going to be most successful in execution. So, we had a lot of one-on-one chats during the pre-season camps, understood what their strengths are, and went about working on them. We challenged them every single session on execution," he added.
Building Confidence in Young Bowlers
Arun emphasized that his role is to help young bowlers build confidence and identify areas for improvement. "It would be unfair to say I spotted Prince. But identifying what he could do by looking at him and placing him in the right role within the team was my challenge," Arun said. The coach's focus on mental preparation and skill execution has clearly paid off, as evidenced by Prince's match-winning delivery.
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