IPL experience helped me bowl death overs: Bhuvneshwar

Kolkata, Jan 21 (IANS) Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Saturday said death bowling has become difficult nowadays with 350 being a par score but added that the experience he gained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped him a lot.

Bhuvneshwar, who returned to the Indian ODI team in place of Umesh Yadav in the second match in Cuttack, bowled at the death to help his side quell the late surge from England captain Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali, who stitched together a 93-run stand for the sixth wicket.

"Firstly thanks to IPL, the way I was bowling at the death. Because when Sunrisers (Hyderabad) picked me I was already playing for the country and they were heavily dependent on me to bowl at the death," Kumar told reporters on the eve of India's third and final ODI at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.

"So I was experienced to bowl at the death... I kept that thing in mind and tried to do same thing here," Kumar, who took the wicket of Ali to finally break the partnership, which had threatened to take the game away from the hosts, said.

Admitting that it's difficult to bowl yorkers at the end when the ball is wet, Kumar said they practice with a wet ball to counter the problem.

"It is always difficult to bowl yorkers with wet ball. But we practiced bowling yorkers with the wet ball. That was a plan which we did execute for pressure situations," Kumar, who picked up an injury in the third Test against New Zealand, said.

Asked whether the game has become more batsman-friendly now, Kumar said, "We have become used to it. We know that 350 is a normal score.

"That's how we plan our practice and have team meetings. It's difficult because we are coming from the era when 250-300 was a par score but now 350 is a par score so it's not easy to bowl as a bowler..."

On his comeback, he said, "It is tough when you are playing after a while. There is nervousness somewhere. You get an opportunity after a long time.

"I have not played for long and there was always this feeing that I am practising so much and not playing in matches. Getting into the match and bowling two-three overs makes you get used to the match situation."