Former Indian seamer Praveen Kumar, who was instrumental in helping India to a memorable ODI series win is Australia in 2008, is reportedly eyeing a comeback to the Indian squad after delivering a string of good performances for the Gujarat Lions in the IPL this year. The right-arm swing bowler played 6 Tests and 68 ODIs for India before persistent injuries and off-field controversies forced him out of the Indian squad. Kumar played his last international game in 2012 and now wants to don the Indian colours again.
Talking about that, the seamer said, “I am 110 percent fit and bowling well. My duty is to play good cricket, it’s up to the selectors to decide my fate.”
He also added, “I am a fighter and I have always fought it out on my own ever since I started playing.” Kumar has been excellent in this year’s IPL as he has picked up 7 wickets at a decent economy rate of 7.66 and the way he has bowled in the death overs is really commendable.
Also read: IPL 2016: Praveen Kumar was pleasantly surprised to see grassy wicket at Eden Gardens
Known to be a swing bowler, Kumar has surely added more skills to his repertoire. In the ongoing IPL 2016, the Gujarat Lions seamer has been able to land yorkers accurately and has often deceived the batsmen with his deceptive slower ones.
The former Kings XI Punajb star, who has his name written on the prestigious Lord’s boards after his 5-wicket haul there in 2011, still treasures his memorable spell. He spoke about two of his biggest achievements, “That was the most memorable occasion for me and the performance in the 2007-08 CN Series in Australia was a big boost to my confidence.”
Also read: IPL 2016: Gujarat Lions climb to 2nd after win over Kolkata Knight Riders
He also shared an interesting anecdote about how he did not wear a sock on the right foot in domestic matches as he felt a pinch in the ankle. The swing bowler revealed, “I didn’t like it (pinch) when I started playing as I wanted to stay away from hurdles and focus on my bowling. The habit stays and even today I don’t think of anything else when I’m bowling.”
With a whippy action, Praveen Kumar is someone who can trouble the batsmen with his swing and control. However, it is his tempestuous nature which has often made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Kumar offered his clarification, “It’s a baseless allegation that I keep fighting with people.”
He also pointed out, “My tone sounds a bit rough, but that’s the case with every individual from Meerut. Even when you say something passionately it sounds rough to the others. That’s not my problem as it is inbuilt.”
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