Bowling with Sunil Narine could also result in me becoming a hitting target: Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla

Kolkata Knight Riders leg-spinner Piyush Chawla said that while bowling in partnership with West Indies mystery spinner Sunil Narine can help sometimes it can also result in him becoming a ‘hitting target’.

Chawla, who hasn’t played for India since 2012, returned with excellent figures of 4-0-26-2 in the Knight Riders’ victory against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday. The Chennai-based franchise had got off to a sparkling start with the scoreboard reading 27/0 after just 3 overs, but the 25-year-old’s introduction into the attack not only brought a halt to the scoring rate but also a couple of wickets. Chawla dismissed the dangerous Dwayne Smith in his very first over and followed it up with the wicket of Faf du Plessis shortly after.

Narine, meanwhile, not only took the important wicket of Suresh Raina but was also extremely economical, conceding a meagre 9 runs in his 4 overs.

Hitting target

Bowling with someone of Narine’s calibre, then, should only be a boon, but Chawla believes that Narine’s mastery often results in batsmen attacking him at the other end, which could go either way.

"Bowling with him does helps at times, like it did today (Wednesday). He bowled four overs and gave away only nine runs. That took the pressure off me at the other end," Chawla told CLT20.com

"However, sometimes, it also works the other way. Batsmen will often look to play Sunil out and that means I would be their hitting target. It does give you a better chance to pick wickets but also increases your chances of being clobbered."

Shorter spells a challenge

In T20 cricket, a bowler gets only one or two overs in a spell and gets taken off the attack even before he can get into a rhythm. But Chawla said that bowling short spells is a challenge that he has always looked forward to.

"It is a challenge and we have to adapt to it. What I personally do is I bowl 25-30 balls at a stretch before the game starts," the 25-year old said.

"That helps me get into the groove when I actually come on to bowl and I don't feel rusty."

The IPL champions played their opening game in Hyderabad and will be playing all their remaning games at the same venue, as well. Chawla said that they enjoy a huge advantage, as a result, because they can get acclimatized to the conditions and also don’t have to travel from venue to venue, which can take a toll on their bodies.

"In a short tournament like this, it is a good advantage if you're playing all your league games at one venue. It gives you the chance to get used to the conditions and the wicket and enables you to plan your strategies in a better way. It also saves you from the hectic traveling," added Chawla.