Vikramjeet Malik: I Had Plans For Smith, Karthik & Pollard

With figures of 4-0-24-3, Vikramjeet Malik played a crucial role in the Rajasthan Royals getting off to a winning start in the Karbonn Smart Champions League Twenty20 2013. The 30-year-old pacer had carefully planned his scalps and gave the Royals breakthroughs at crucial junctures in the game. Handed the new ball, he first removed Dwayne Smith and then dismissed Dinesh Karthik in his first spell. Malik then returned in the last over to claim Kieron Pollard off the first ball, thus restricting the Mumbai Indians to 142. The RR batters then ensured that the home team sailed to victory at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. (Also Read: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, M1 - Report: CLT20-2013)

While speaking to clt20.com after RR’s seven-wicket win, Malik discussed his dismissals and talked about his team’s maiden CLT20 victory. (Also Read: Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, M1 - Stats Highlights: CLT20-2013)

Excerpts from his interview:

Did you expect to win with such ease?

It didn’t look so easy but we know that our team is a good team and we have prepared well and hard so accordingly it would be a little easy for us. But it can be a little difficult for the team coming to play here to adapt quickly. Although the ball doesn’t move much on this wicket, there is bounce and swing in the night. It is not easy to hit the ball on the rise, so we did feel that we would win. 

What do you focus on in your bowling?

Earlier, I would bowl with pace but now that the age is increasing, I bowl more balls; so now one thinks that the line and length should be good. If I get the new ball, then I should try and swing it and if I get the old one, then bowl more variations. 

What was your plan today? You claimed Dwayne Smith in your first over.

Smith doesn’t play the ball coming in so well. He is good player off the back foot, so my plan was to bowl full. When I bowled full, he hit it for a four. For the next ball he was standing back, so I bowled him an inswinger in the middle. 

Your next scalp was the key wicket of Dinesh Karthik. What was your plan for him?

I have claimed his wicket in Ranji Trophy matches as well. I knew he would leave the crease and come out, so I was ready for him – the moment he came forward, I pulled my length back. Twice he came out, of which once he got a single and the next time he got out. 

What was the feeling on the field when Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard were batting?

If you bowl according to the field and keep your line and length intact, then you get a wicket. Once Rohit got out it felt that the score that was bound to reach the 150-160-run mark, can come down now. 

How did you plan for Pollard’s wicket?

I had set a different field. I had planned that I would set that field for him and bowl to him and he got out off the first ball. The mid-off was up and three fielders were back on the off side; third man was up, two were on the leg side and two were up. He hits the short-of-good-length ball nicely over the mid-wicket. So my plan was to make him play outside the off-stump and try to make him slash at the ball and that is what he did and got an edge and I got a wicket. 

What was it like batting out there and what are your thoughts on Sanju Samson’s batting?

We knew Mitchell Johnson bowls the new ball well, so we didn’t want to give him a wicket and if six-seven runs kept coming per over, that would be good. Unfortunately, Rahul Bhai (Dravid) got out and then Sanju went in to bat and played well. He is an emerging player. In the IPL too he has played valuable knocks for us. We knew we could win it, and that someone or the other would make the runs. 

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium continues to be a fortress for the Rajasthan Royals 

Yes, and hopefully it continues to be that way. This is a good wicket for a match and a good ground. We get a good crowd here, so the atmosphere created is really good. Also, we work hard and we know how to play here and so everything works out well. 

source: clt20.com