IPL 2020 | Will be a good challenge to bowl on flat UAE pitches, reveals Tushar Deshpande

When Tushar Deshpande started up in the senior cricketing scene for Mumbai, he had to face the preconceived notion of “not having enough control in his stride” even though he had the ability to bowl over 145-150 Kph on a regular basis. However, the consistent effort and the ability to reinvent time and time again helped him carve a niche in Indian cricket, to an extent that he was picked up by Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League auction. Now that the league has been shifted to the UAE, any young pacer might have a bit of apprehension, but Deshpande buys none of it. 

“I am looking forward to it as a very big opportunity because playing on foreign soil. Even if the IPL is happening in India or UAE and it is a big break for a youngster like me. Playing in UAE will be beneficial for me and what I have heard about UAE is that they have flat pitches and thus it will be a good challenge for me to bowl there,” Deshpande told SportsCafe in an exclusive interview. 

The squads will travel a month in advance to fulfill the quarantine regulations and train in Dubai while ensuring the general safety standards are maintained. While the rhythm is surely a concern and the players will try to achieve the same in the said space fitness-wise, Deshpande has no qualms whatsoever.

“I am completely fit and in the last four months, I have planned with my trainer Vidhi Sanghvi. I have worked a lot on my fitness in these four months because my history has been of injuries so I got this time of four months to get every aspect cleared in my fitness. Even if I am not able to practice now, I am just visualising my run-up, my bowling and my stock deliveries as well. So four good productive months for me. So I am fully confident that if I get an opportunity to play for DC I will do well,” the pacer added.

One of the big issues for any cricketer in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah is to acquaint themselves with the atmosphere which is rather hot and humid. However, Deshpande is conditioning himself with a challenging mindset where he doesn’t have to rely on any excuses if the chance beckons.

“Weather change is a really big part of cricket. Wherever you travel in India, you surely get a bit of weather change. But as professional cricketers as a fast bowler as an athlete, I don’t look for excuses whether Dubai is hot or cold we cannot change that so we have to just plan according to it and just keep ourselves hydrated. So I don’t think there will be many problems in me going to the UAE and performing as I will give my best that’s it.”