K.S. Bharat may not be an explosive hitter, but that does not necessarily mean that he has no place in Twenty20 cricket.
Bharat is tasked with a less glamorous role at Royal Challengers Bangalore, one that requires him to build a strong launch pad for big guns like Glenn Maxwell and A.B. de Villiers.
The Andhra Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman has done his job in the last couple of outings. Steady knocks at one-drop — 44 (35b) against Rajasthan Royals, and 32 (24b) against Mumbai Indians — have come in winning causes.
“At No. 3, my role is to rotate the strike and run well. If you keep the scoreboard ticking at 8-9 an over, you have a good base for Maxi (Maxwell) and others coming in later. If we keep wickets in hand, we can go all out in the death,” Bharat said after RCB’s win against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
Bharat enjoyed batting alongside Maxwell on Wednesday, with the duo discussing tactics to help each other in the chase. “Maxwell and I spoke about the areas we can target, and boundary options.
“We also discussed the number of overs a bowler will bowl, and what lengths he will bowl. We talked tactical matters, which we executed well,” he said.
On playing with stars like Virat Kohli, Maxwell and de Villiers, Bharat said, “Each and every individual you play with will add something to your game, and help you understand the game better.”
