When I started out, I wasn't a thinking bowler, but talking to seniors and coaches helped. They would always tell me that I ought to be clear about where I wanted to bowl before I ran in to bowl.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
You need to plan your bowling. Whenever things are not working for you - like, if you don't get swing - then you have to be ready with a backup plan and try something else.
Being a swing bowler, bowling at the death is just an added facet in my bowling.
It's all about doing the little things right. It doesn't matter what form of cricket you are playing. Just keep things simple, and you will succeed.
If you have good gear and shoes, you can go for long runs and sustain yourself for a longer duration.
When you are bowling with a new ball, there are only two fielders outside the circle. With the old ball, batsmen don't care how many guys are outside the circle.
When you are playing Under-17 or U-19, the captain is of the same age as the rest of us. His knowledge was also as limited as the other players, so there was greater responsibility on the bowlers to understand themselves and their bowling, read the pitch, and set fields accordingly.
I have improved my pace without losing on the swing. That is something I am really happy about.
I am here to play cricket. No preferences at all. T20, ODI, Test - I just want to perform on every stage and prove my worth as a good bowler.
As far as I am concerned, my priority is to perform well and win matches for India.
You need wickets to be brave. When you get wickets, you can try anything. But when you don't, you always hesitate to try a few things because it is not always about giving runs and getting wickets.
Anything that a batsman cannot pick from the wrist is deception.
I don't bowl at 140 kmph or 150 kmph, so my best chance of getting the batsmen out is by bowling in the right areas and getting it to swing.
In India, the wicket tends to get a bit slower once the ball gets old, but in England, it's pretty much the same whether it's new ball or old ball.
As to adding variations to my white ball bowling, ever since I started playing IPL, I realised you need variations. You can't survive on line and length. You need coaches around you who can guide you to get there. I have been lucky that I have had seniors and coaches who have helped me get there.
Stats are something which can't define everything. It could be hiding more things than it shows.
As a bowler, there are times when you do not get wickets, and you don't have the numbers to show against your name. But never has the thought crossed my mind that I am not a confident bowler and the wickets are not coming my way.
When it comes to AB de Villiers, he is the best in the world, and you have to be at your best to bowl to him.
Shankar Basu introduced me to a different type of training that eventually helped me increase my pace. That, in turn, went on to help me bowl at the death, too.
I only have a family pack; never really felt the need for abs or something like that because, to my mind, being fit in terms of cricket is far more important than anything.
I just try to improve every series.
We all know just bowling won't do in modern international cricket, and we have to contribute with the bat and as a fielder, too.
When I began, I was more of a swing bowler with little pace, but I realized it will be difficult to sustain without the pace, so my fitness has now allowed me maybe an extra yard of pace. That has been the secret of my success.
I will like to take one match at a time.
As a new ball bowler, it's my job to stick to the basics.
Swing is my main weapon.
All bowlers depend on movement, and I am no exception.
If you think like a batsman, you have an upper-hand over the man you're bowling to.
MS has always been a bowler's captain.
If the keeper is standing up, in the fear of getting stumped, the batsman will not try to walk down the wicket to negate the swing.
IPL is such a tournament that you end up knowing about the strengths and weaknesses of everyone because you are playing with so many people in the same side.
I won't say I am a premier bowler or anything, because we are all trying to work hard, and whoever gets the opportunity wants to do well.
I have natural talent when it comes to batting.
T20 cricket is all about using variations, and timing has to be perfect.
Whatever knuckle ball I have bowled, I wanted batsmen to go after that. That way, you can get wickets, and that's one of the main reasons why I have been successful in power plays.
T20 is such a format that finishes quickly, and you only have four overs. If there are three bad balls in one over, you will go for runs, and your whole analysis suffers. The team is on back foot because of three balls. So each and every ball becomes very important. It makes the bowler think.
It is never easy to switch between formats, but it is all about practice and preparation.
Bumrah has a different action, which creates problems for the batsmen. He has improved a lot of things with his action. He had these yorkers, and slower ones earlier as well, but he has improved a lot.
I have batted well in Tests and always wanted to do well in ODIs, too.
How you practice in nets matters a lot.
If you bowl good yorkers in nets and come up with good variation, it helps your on-field performance.
I think in T20, things are related to pressure, and if you handle it well, you are on top of your game. I think about process and not too much about results.
I never think that I have to be at top every time. Obviously, I have to do well in every game and series; that's what I try to do. I try to improve and work on the swing and variation in my bowling.
We all know that spinners dominate in Indian conditions, so it's good if medium pacers can get at least two wickets.
It was always a dream to play Test for India, and I was very happy when I got my first wicket.
The way I am bowling at the death, it's all thanks to the IPL.
You need an over to get your confidence going.
It's most difficult to bowl with wet ball.
Preparation goes on even when you are out of the team, as you can do it anywhere.
T20 is a game where you must expect the unexpected.
