Trying to stay a step ahead of players like Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan has always been left-arm pacer Jason Behrendorff's endeavour but it is easier said than done at times, admitted the Australian speedster ahead of the second T20 International against India in Thiruvananthapuram.
Behrendorff was the only Aussie bowler, who came out unscathed with figures of 1/25 in his full quota even as all others conceded well over 11 runs on an average during India's record run-chase of 209 in the opening game in Visakhapatnam.
Skipper Surya's 80 off 42 balls and Kishan's half-century laid the foundation of India's win.
So, when asked what could possibly be his strategy to stop his Mumbai Indians teammate, Behrendorff replied in jest, "Give the ball to someone else may be."
"They are all pretty good players and may be try to keep them guessing, just to stay one step ahead, which is hard to do at times. Maybe, do what we can in terms of change in pace, line and length," the lanky seamer said during the pre-match media conference on Saturday.
The team management's brief to Behrendorff has been simple, get the ball to jag around and get some breakthroughs in the first six overs of Powerplay.
"I have been pretty fortunate that the ball swung pretty much whenever I have played in India. So, sticking to my strength and trying to swing the ball upfront and take wickets in Powerplay, that's what I have been able to do over a period of time," the seamer explained his role.
The man who took 14 wickets in 12 games for Mumbai Indians during IPL 2023, believes in keeping the line of his deliveries straight as the margin of error is miniscule.
"The main thing was to see if there's any swing upfront and that's my main strength and trying to stick to that. LinE-wise, I was generally trying to be straighter than anything because you know in India it can travel to the fence quickly. In terms of variations, I try it depending upon the surface and at some places it grips more than others," he explained his thought process.
Behrendorff wasn't a part of the World Cup-winning squad and he utilised the time well, playing domestic cricket and working on improving his existing skill-set.
"I was playing domestic cricket back home and getting ready for this series. Coming to India and playing against them is always a great challenge," he said.
