The new ball has helped Avesh Khan trouble batsmen around the country and return with two five-wicket-hauls and four-fers each so far. (File)
Avesh Khan continued his rich vein of form on Sunday morning to wreak havoc on the Delhi batsmen and return with figures of 6/51 for Madhya Pradesh. Bowling with new cherry has helped the 21-year-old fast bowler trouble batsmen around the country and return with three five-fers and two four-fers so far. At the Feroz Shah Kotla, Khan proved his mettle once again by shouldering the responsibility of the new ball and speaking to The Indian Express admitted that this role is something that has contributed to his notable success in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
With 34 wickets he is the leading wicket-taker for Madhya Pradesh in 2018-19. However what stands out is the manner in which he has got rid of the batsmen- by consistently attacking the stumps. In his last three outings, the lanky speedster from Indore has picked 18 wickets out which 10 have been bowled and this is no mean feat. “Ever since I have been given the new ball the focus has been to bring the batsman forward and make them play as much as possible,” Khan said before adding that the extra pace he generates will add to the trouble.
“I like to bowl fast and the pace that I have will make the batsmen think and take time to adjust and that is where I have able to make most by damaging the woodwork several times,” Khan explained.
Using the early morning moisture on offer, Khan got the ball to talk at will. “The plan was always to make use of these conditions in Delhi and two wickets in the first over gave me a mental boost and reap the rewards,” he said.
Once again 4 out of his six dismissals were bowled as the top order comprising Hiten Dalal, Dhruv Shorey, Nitish Rana, and Lalit Yadav were all left with damaged woodwork. The raw pace and accurate line troubled the batsmen who were circumspect with their shots.
To ensure that his pace doesn’t go down Khan is working with the backroom staff to keep the workload in check. “They monitor my workload and see to it that I don’t bowl too much in nets. The amount I bowling in the match is sufficient. This is why I am able to bowl longer spells with equal intensity,” said Khan.
However, all the good work put in by the bowlers was turned void by Anuj Rawat’s counter-attacking knock of 134 which wretched the advantage from MP as Delhi ended on 261 and a 129-run in lead in their first innings. The 21-year old did admit that letting off Rawat proved costly. “We gave away easy runs but the effort was to get them out. Disappointed that the lead extended to 129 but we will surely try to bat well tomorrow,” Khan signed off by saying.
Avesh Khan’s spells in last three matches-
7/24, 5/30 Madhya Pradesh vs Hyderabad, 6 Dec 2018
4/8, 2/86 Madhya Pradesh vs Kerala Thumba, 28 Nov 2018
4/77, 3/85 Madhya Pradesh v Punjab Indore, 20 Nov 2018
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