Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Sreenath Aravind, who took four wickets against Kings XI Punjab, has credited senior fast bowler Mitchell Starc for teaching him the tricks of the trade.
After Chris Gayle's 57-ball 117 steered RCB to 226 for three, left-arm paceman Aravind (4-27) rocked the Punjab top and middle-order while Starc (4-15) polished off the lower-order to guide the team to 138-run win in Bangalore.
"It was interesting working with him. He is a great Australian bowler. He taught me to hit the deck hard and make use of the seam. You know yorkers are his main weapon, so learnt from him," Aravind said.
Aravind accounted for the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha (13), Glenn Maxwell (1), David Miller (7) and skipper George Bailey (2).
Asked which one was his most cherished wicket, Aravind said, "Maxwell, Bailey and Miller...those were the three big wickets because they have the potential to come close to the target. Those three were the main wickets."
The pacer said it was wonderful to take four wickets in his very first IPL match of the season.
"Yeah, it has been a wonderful performance. From past two years, I have been waiting in the wings and working hard on my bowling. Today I grabbed the opportunity with both hands."
Aravind said the injury made him stronger over the years.
"The injury made me stronger and stronger. I worked hard on my injury and my bowling as well. I also thank support staff Muthu Kumar and Shravan," he said.
Asked how he would have contained Gayle onslaught, Aravind said although it is difficult to stop the West Indian batsman, he would have bowled at his pads.
"When Gayle is in good go we cannot stop him. I would have bowled on to his pads to contain him...that would have been my main weapon," he said.