Exciting part is that the bowling unit still has more in the tank: Bond

Trent Boult, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. 

In these six, Rajasthan perhaps have the best bowling unit out in the competition, making life so much easier for their bowling coach, Shane Bond. The duo of Boult and Burger used the spicy conditions at the Wankhede Stadium to their fullest advantage, reducing Mumbai to 20/4, one of their lowest points at home. 

It wasn’t just the pacers; Yuzvendra Chahal, too, scalped three crucial wickets, removing the well-set Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma to tilt the game completely in Rajasthan’s favour. Despite a staggering performance like this, Bond believes there’s a lot left in the Royals’ tank, making it a scary prospect for the opponents. 

“I look at it as more like having five outstanding bowlers, we are very lucky. Obviously, the two left-armers and their angles, they are both different bowlers. One swings, the other bowls fast, one experienced, the other not so much, it is a collective effort,” Bond said in the post-match press conference. 

“When you have five and sometimes six, it makes my job easy. There’s still more left in the tank, that’s the exciting part.” 

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Earlier last year, Shane Bond ended a nine-year association with Mumbai Indians, jumping on the Royals ship. Since his move to Royals, it is the first time Bond has returned to Wankhede Stadium, and the former Kiwi pacer talked about how the conditions weren’t the same. He insisted that the wickets were a little spicier than usual. 

“It is awesome to be back at the Wankhede and see all my friends here. The conditions were a little different from before. The practise wickets were a little spicy, and so was it during the game. It was a good toss to win,” he said. 

“In saying that, if Mumbai had put 30 more runs, it would have been a tough chase. We adapted to the conditions very well, and barring that partnership between Tilak-Hardik, we did really well,” he added. 

While Bond has a reputation for moulding budding pacers into great bowlers, his challenge at the Royals is a unique one. In Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, Bond has to be in constant contact with two of the world’s best spinners, which brings something very different than usual for Bond. 

“It is one of the things that I have enjoyed, I see myself as the bowling coach. I always loved working with the spinners and was looking forward to working with Yuzi (Chahal) and Ash (Ashwin), obviously hugely experienced spin bowlers,” he said in awe of the two spinners. 

“We sit and talk strategy, field placements and how they fit into the team strategy. You saw Chahal today; he was bowling selflessly for the team, and still picked up wickets. That’s just super exciting and super happy with how he is going, we talk about collective effort, and we are going well,” he added. 

Despite his lukewarm success over the years, the Royals continued to show their faith and invest in the talent. They are now reaping the rewards, with Riyan topping the run-scoring chart, alongside his idol, Virat Kohli, scoring 181 runs in three innings, with just one dismissal in the season. 

Bond credited the 22-year-old for the rapid transformation, stating that the trade to send Devdutt Padikkal across to Lucknow for Avesh Khan was done keeping Riyan’s success at the domestic level in mind. It not only opened up that No.4 spot, it also allowed the youngster to play at his natural best. 

“Riyan started very young, playing in one of the toughest batting spots in a league like this. The Tim Davids, David Millers have all played international cricket. He sort of reminds me a little bit of Surya (Suryakumar Yadav). He’s still a very young man but has got this wealth of experience behind him now,” he said. 

“He’s had an outstanding domestic season. With the trade (Padikkal to LSG; Avesh to RR), it was in mind to put Riyan up the order. He’s got an extreme talent. He’s just matured as a cricketer; we are getting the best out of him. Pretty exciting what he can offer.”

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