IPL 2021: Lalit Yadav has a curious reason for bowling above 100 kph against KKR

Lalit Yadav dissected his impressive bowling effort against the Kolkata Knight Riders, which helped the Delhi Capitals restrict them to a below-par total. The off-spinner admitted the threat of being taken for runs ensured he kept his speeds above 100 kph on Thursday.

The off-spinner came into the side in place of the injured Amit Mishra and performed to a tee. Lalit Yadav ended as the pick of the bowlers on the night, with DC cruising to a seven-wicket win to go second on the IPL points table 2021.

The 24-year-old caught up with Prithvi Shaw after the game, where the opener asked Lalit Yadav whether it was his strategy to keep his pace up as a spinner.

“It was my strategy (to bowl quick). Since the two right-handers were at the crease, I thought they would attack me so I just stuck to the line and kept my speeds above 100 kmph, that’s my bowling style!” Yadav claimed.

One was sensational in the run-chase while the other was impressive with the ball. 👌 👌The @DelhiCapitals duo of @PrithviShaw & Lalit Yadav recap the team's emphatic win in Ahmedabad. 👍 👍 - By @RajalArora #VIVOIPL #DCvKKR Full interview 🎥 👇https://t.co/hJDWGiozI9 pic.twitter.com/h2cc5l20Jj

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 30, 2021

Lalit Yadav made a game-changing impact in the 11th over, taking two wickets to turn the game on its head. KKR were cruising at 73/2 at that stage, and Lalit Yadav sent back Eoin Morgan and Sunil Narine for ducks to hand the initiative back to DC.

Click here for the complete IPL 2021 schedule.

Looking back at the memorable two-run over, Lalit Yadav claimed sticking by his strengths reaped dividends.

“I wasn’t thinking much. Just focussed on bowling wicket to wicket, not concede any boundaries and make full use of the bigger boundary,” Yadav said.

Lalit Yadav reflects on his Delhi Capitals journey

Top three impact performances in the #DCvKKR match according to ESPNcricinfo's Smart Stats #IPL2021Prithvi Shaw 112.14Lalit Yadav 69.58Andre Russell 61.47

— ESPNcricinfo stats (@ESPNcric_stats) April 29, 2021

Lalit Yadav has played just four games this season but has managed to make an impact on the field. Lalit Yadav has impressed with both bat and ball. The youngster has scored 54 runs and picked up three wickets in 2021.

Lalit Yadav, however, admitted it took him some time to settle into a Delhi Capitals setup with a host of international icons in the dressing room.

“I have eased out a bit after my first match. Before that, I had a little hesitation about how to talk to others and share my thoughts with them. Now it has eased out, it got better with each passing game and now it is completely normal,” Yadav revealed.

Prithvi Shaw sheepishly asked Lalit Yadav to comment on DC’s batting effort, and the all-rounder heaped praise on the young opener for his sublime start.

“While you were batting, you hit six fours in the first over and they were out of the game from that moment!” Yadav told Shaw

The Delhi Capitals will face Punjab Kings in their next game, with the two teams clashing on May 2 in Ahmedabad.