Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have formed one of the most well-rounded bowling attacks in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). One of the biggest reasons behind that is the presence of Harshal Patel, who has established himself as one of the best death-over bowlers in world cricket at the moment.
The right-arm pacer joined RCB ahead of IPL 2021 in a pre-season trade. After joining the Virat Kohli-led franchise, he took the tournament by storm and won the purple cap. A tally of 32 wickets saw him win equal Dwayne Bravo’s record of taking most wickets in a single edition of the cash-rich league. Despite his brilliance in the 14th edition, Harshal was not retained by RCB but they purchased him him for Rs. 10.75 crore in the mega auction.
Harshal, who is now an Indian international has revealed his battle with pre-match anxiety which has been troubling him for a long while. The 31-year-old revealed it is something that left him exhausted after troubling him for the whole day before a match started.
“I went through a cycle of crippling pre-game anxiety. Like I would have to go and pee probably once every two minutes, right from when I wake up on game day to the moment where I bowl the first ball. The anxiety was so bad and I used to get so exhausted that I would want the match to end so that I could go and sleep. I still have it but now I look at it as a part of the game,” said Harshal Patel on Gaurav Kapoor’s show ‘Breakfast with Champions’.
The Indian pacer elaborated how a conversation with Ab de Villiers helped him realize the South African legend faces the same problem. “I remember probably last season when I was having a conversation with AB. He said the same thing, ‘I am pissing myself before every game.’ If that is happening to somebody like AB de Villiers, who am I? You get an affirmation that you’re not alone,” concluded Harshal.
