Harshal Patel needs no introduction in the game of cricket. He is a world-renowned white-ball specialist in the game. In the last couple of years, he has announced himself at the biggest T20 tournament and then on the international circuit. That all started with a stellar performance in the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League. Having made his debut in the 2012 season, he got the chance to play the whole season in 2021. And he made the most of the opportunity.
The 32-year-old took a total of 32 wickets in the season and ended as the winner of the “Purple Cap.” He also equaled the record of CSK all-rounder Dwayne Bravo for most wickets in one season. And his stock rocketed after that season. His performance helped him get his first international call-up for the international team. He made his debut and also impressed at that level. However, things were not the same in his early days and he has gone through many struggling days.
In an interaction with sports presenter Gaurav Kapur on his show “Breakfast with Champions”, he spoke about his early life. He also talked about his struggles while staying in the United States of America. The 32-year-old said that he used to work in a perfume store run by a Pakistani in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He also revealed that, as he studied in a Gujarati-medium school, he wasn’t good at English. Harshal also spoke about how he started picking up the language that was totally new to him. And, as mostly Latino and African American English was spoken there, “Gangster English.”
He also said that customers used to come on Friday to buy a bottle for $100 and then come on Monday to return it back after using it. Harshal also revealed how his aunt and uncle used to drop him off at 7 am and that his store used to open at 9. He also added that from morning 7 to evening 7:30, he was getting $35 a day, for 12–13 hours.
The 32-year-old also said that he used to play cricket in Gujarat and felt that he could do well. In his early days, he used to bowl quickly, but it stopped after that, but his parents kept faith in his abilities. He recalled his parents’ advice: “don’t do something which puts us in a bad situation.” Harshal said that he took it very seriously and started training hard at Motera from 7 to 10 am.
He is doing a good job in the ongoing IPL season as well. So far, he has picked 10 wickets in nine matches with a decent economy rate of 7.67. RCB are sitting in the fifth position on the points table with 10 points.