IPL 2021: "No. 3 a beautiful spot to bat if you can keep the scoreboard ticking" - Srikar Bharat

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Srikar Bharat has termed the No. 3 position as a beautiful spot to bat in T20 cricket. According to Bharat, if the one-down batter can keep the scoreboard moving at a fair pace, he can set up the game brilliantly for the other big-hitters in the team.

Bharat has been given the crucial role of batting at No. 3 in the second half of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) by the RCB management. On Wednesday, he played a key role in RCB’s seven-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Dubai, scoring 44 off 35 balls. He featured in a 69-run stand with Glenn Maxwell (50 not out) as RCB chased 150 with ease.

At the post-match conference, Bharat was asked about the challenges of batting at No. 3 and the message given to him by the RCB think-tank.

“No. 3 is always a beautiful spot to bat. It asks a lot of questions if you are not ready for it. At RCB, we have always focused on keeping the strike going and getting busy right from ball one. The little things of calling well, running well and rotating the strike - All these pointers play a huge role in building up a partnership. At No. 3, if you can keep the scoreboard ticking at 8-9 per over, you have a good pace,” Bharat stated.

The 27-year-old added that if a No. 3 does his job well, the task automatically becomes easier for the batters coming in at the death.

“You have people like Maxi (Maxwell) and AB (de Villiers) coming at the death or say after 12 overs. You have those wickets in hand and you can go all out towards the end of the innings. So the message was clear - I should get a partnership going and we are sticking to it,” Bharat said.

RCB got off to a confident start in the chase of 150 as the openers added 48. However, Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli then fell in quick succession, leaving Bharat and Maxwell to rebuild the innings.

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“You have to be right in the game every ball” - Srikar Bharat on keeping to Yuzvendra Chahal

While Bharat and Maxwell starred with the bat, it was RCB leggie Yuzvendra Chahal who set up the game with figures of 2 for 18. Chahal had Mahipal Lomror stumped and Liam Livingstone caught at long-on.

Asked about the challenge of keeping to the leg-spinner, Bharat admitted that he has to stay focused every ball and cannot err in concentration.

“He is a world-class bowler as we all know. He varies his pace exceptionally well. You have to be right in the game every ball. You can’t fade off even for a single moment. I was just trying to keep myself in the game, trying to read him from his hands. We all know the lines and lengths he bowls, so the keeper is in play each and every ball. You’ve got to just enjoy it,” Bharat explained.

Bharat, who was purchased by RCB for his base price of INR 20 lakh, has contributed 92 runs in four games at a strike rate of 117.94.