'I'm hopeful I'm going to rectify those mistakes of the last game and continue to deliver the performances that I expect out of myself.'
Delhi Capitals all-rounder Harshal Patel reckons the margin of error is going to be very small in Friday's IPL game against a Rajasthan Royals team boasting players of the calibre of Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler.
Having been a part of a high-scoring encounter in Sharjah already, Patel said, "Whenever you're playing in a high-scoring game, you just have to be on top of your game all 24 balls that you bowl.
"The margin of error is very little, and at the same time you know that it's going to be a high-scoring game - so it does take a little bit of pressure off of you, because you know everybody's going to go for runs.
"So you can be a little more relaxed in terms of your approach towards the game and just focus on executing whatever the batsman does - if he hits you off a good length, then you just have to accept that and move on," added the 29-year-old.
An invaluable fifth bowling option for Delhi Capitals, Patel said his team is focussed on executing the strategies.
After enduring an injury-laden season with the Capitals in 2019, Patel has been excellent for the franchise this time, picking two wickets in his first two games while proving to be a reliable fifth bowling option for Shreyas Iyer and Co.
"I think every team in the IPL is extremely competitive, and that's why the quality of cricket is unparalleled. So when it comes to players like Jos Buttler, Steve Smith or (Sanju) Samson, you just have to focus on executing your skill.
"You do the planning in your team meetings, and when you get onto the field – it's all about execution."
With figures of 2 for 34 against Kolkata Knight Riders in his first match and 0 for 43 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in his second, Patel was honest in his self-assessment.
"It has been on par – to be honest, last match I felt I could have executed and planned a little better. But these things are part and parcel of the game, and you do get better as you keep playing.
"So, I'm hopeful I'm going to rectify those mistakes of the last game and continue to deliver the performances that I expect out of myself."
Commenting on what his team is focusing on ahead of Friday’s match against Rajasthan Royals, Patel said the players want to ensure that small mistakes are closed out.
"We're just talking about how we can get better – even though the last game we put on quite a clinical performance but the conversation has always been around what else we can do to get better, what else we can do to close out the small mistakes that we're making," he said.
"We just want to get better as the tournament progresses. Everyone who's been around in the IPL knows that the second half of IPL is one of the most difficult parts of the tournament.
"So we don't want to get complacent, don't want to relax – we just want to keep our focus and try to get better by putting in the efforts," added the right-arm medium pacer."
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