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Jamieson hopes to make impact in India white-ball series
Kyle Jamieson recalls his thrilling IPL experience bowling to Virat Kohli, as he prepares for New Zealand's upcoming series in India.
Mumbai: Kyle Jamieson runs in to bowl to a cauldron of support from the home crowd in New Chandigarh and delivers a lifter that shapes away from Virat Kohli, taking the edge to send RCB’s biggest batter back to the pavilion. Jamieson and Punjab Kings, defending precious few runs in the IPL 2025 Qualifier, could not win that night, but the tall fast bowler calls it his favourite memory from battles in India.
“I remember bowling to Virat. That was really cool. Just the crowd chanting for us as the home team and that sort of thing,” Jamieson told select media on the sidelines of the New Zealand team’s Golf Day arranged by TCM.
Getting Indian cricket’s batting superstar out and to be cheered on by an Indian crowd is unique to IPL. The Kiwi pacer swears by the experience, which would hold him in good stead for the upcoming white-ball series (3 ODIs and 5 T20Is) in India which would be followed by the T20 World Cup.
“Just to be a part of those, I guess…such big moments and packed houses and the high pressure, it’s just as a player from New Zealand, we don’t sort of get that sort of atmosphere,” he said.
Jamieson was more effective in the IPL final, in the rematch. All his three scalps came off fuller or slower deliveries, but he could confound batters because of his signature hard lengths, thanks to his 6’8” frame and a very high release point.
“It’s just trying to get (batters) bounced right, and probably in this part of the world it doesn’t sort of extract as much bounce. Probably the thing is how do you adjust your length where other guys maybe can’t go and use those attributes as best you can,” he said. “And try to slip in the fuller one when you can.”
Jamieson will get his chance to add more decorated wickets to his tally, against a star-studded Indian ODI side, and this time, silence the home crowd.
Ro-Ko for World Cup
New Zealand captain for the series, Michael Bracewell, was all praise for Rohit Sharma and Kohli. “Their records speak for themselves, individually and as a team. They’ve been involved in some great Indian sides and led that side with the bat. You’d be silly to underestimate them, that’s for sure,” Bracewell said.
“I’d like to see them play in the (ODI) World Cup,” he added. “They are obviously still playing very good cricket, so there’s no reason to stop. They’re both playing beautifully, so why not?”
Bracewell will be leading an inexperienced group with a number of the seniors either busy on the franchise league circuit or recuperating from injuries. “It’s a tricky one. Whenever you’re missing players of, say, Mitch Santner’s calibre, you’re always going to be struggling to replace them so you’re asking guys to come in and do their role as best as they can,” he said. “If everyone mucks in and does their little bit, then hopefully we can all work together and achieve great things on this tour.”
