Guwahati, May 19 (IANS): Rajasthan Royals fast-bowler Avesh Khan thinks his time in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has been good so far but felt he hasn’t picked as many wickets he aimed to have in his kitty. Avesh is RR’s second leading wicket-taker in the competition with 13 wickets from as many matches.

“It has been a good season, but I haven’t got as many wickets as I’d have liked. I’ve been doing different roles for this team. When (Nandre) Burger was playing for us, I wasn’t getting to bowl in the power-play, but now I’ve been told to bowl in the power-play.”

“I’ve done well there and also at the death. I’ve been told to be prepared to be an all-phase bowler,” said Avesh to broadcasters ahead of RR’s clash against KKR at the Barsapara Stadium, where the toss is delayed due to rain.

His performances, though, have been good enough to land Avesh a spot as a reserve player for India in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup, to be held in the USA and the West Indies from June 1.

“The prep for that hasn’t started yet. I’m not part of the squad but since it is T20, anything could happen since everyone plays a lot of cricket. I’ll keep preparing and try to rectify the mistakes there. During an IPL season, you don’t get to practice that much because the games are back-to-back,” he added.

Asked what RR need to do to conclude the league stage well and enter playoffs with an optimistic mindset, Avesh said, “Just want to continue following the process. We have qualified already but we need to win one more. We want to focus on ourselves, not rely on other teams. Want to win today and get the momentum on our side after four defeats.”

“We discussed that the set batters need to take the game deep and the bowlers should look to focus on every delivery, rather than thinking of completing four overs. The fielding unit has also been told to sharpen up, give their 100%, and put in more effort.”