U19 World Cup: Henil Patel credits Protea great Steyn for match-winning spell against USA

India’s rising pacer Henil Patel has credited South African great Dale Steyn as a major source of inspiration after producing a match-winning five-wicket haul against the USA at the ICC Under-19 men’s cricket World Cup.

Patel spearheaded India’s bowling effort with outstanding figures of 5/16 as the five-time champions registered a six-wicket win in Bulawayo on Thursday, making an ideal start to their U19 World Cup campaign.

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The spell stands as the third-best bowling figures by an Indian at any men’s U19 World Cup, surpassed only by Kamal Passi’s 6/23 against Zimbabwe in 2012 and Anukul Roy’s 5/14 versus Papua New Guinea in 2018, and underlines Patel’s promise for the remainder of the tournament.

Later, reacting to his feat, the right-arm quick named Dale Steyn as his all-time favourite cricketer and revealed that he continues to draw motivation from the South African great while operating with the new ball. “What I get from Dale Steyn is that I like his aggression a lot,” Patel told ICC Digital.

“His bowling was so good that there was no batter who could play against him easily because he was so tough to face.”

Patel struck three times during a fiery new-ball spell at Queens Sports Club that left the USA reeling at 34/4. The soft-spoken 18-year-old said his success stemmed from an attacking mindset and a clear focus on dismissing batters early.

The Indians then tightened the screws on the USA middle-order to pick up wickets at regular intervals as Deepesh Devendran, Ambarish RS, Khilan Patel, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi all picked up a wicket each. Patel then returned to clean up the tail and bag the first fifer of the tournament to bowl USA out for just 107 inside 36 overs.

“I have a mindset to get the batter out within three to four deliveries. I go into training with a proper mindset, I get my body ready and it’s the same in a match. It’s all about taking early wickets, I go with the same mindset and I stay calm,” he revealed.

Despite the comfortable win over the USA, skipper Ayush Mhatre admitted the batting unit will need to be sharper after losing four wickets while chasing a modest 108.

“We stretched out this innings for too long and lost four wickets. We could have done this (run chase) without loss or one wicket down,” Mhatre said post-match.

India will next face Asian rivals Bangladesh at the same Bulawayo venue on Saturday, a fixture that could prove decisive in their bid to carry maximum points into the Super Six stage.