Vyshak Vijaykumar nailed his yorkers outside off-stump last night © IPL It’s rare for a bowler with figures of 0 for 28 in three overs to be hailed as an Impact Player. But Vyshak Vijaykumar (28), the man of the moment, was – both literally and figuratively. In an IPL match that saw a staggering 475 runs scored, he emerged as the tour de force for Punjab Kings against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night. Hours later, he spoke to Cricbuzz. Excerpts: Figures of none for 28 in three overs would typically be considered an ordinary performance, but last night was different, wasn’t it? What can I say about that? Figures don’t matter as long as we are winning the game. We were on the winning side – that’s all that matters. Those figures, benign as they look, made the difference to the contest. Your comments? I knew what I was supposed to do. My job was pretty simple when I went there. The planning was very clear from the captain and the coaches, and I just stuck to those plans. I held my nerves and aimed to stay as calm as possible because it’s a big stage, and it comes with a lot of pressure. If you take on too much pressure, the output won’t be as good as it should be. You have to make sure you’re absorbing that pressure, and that’s what I tried to do. Going in as an Impact Player, you left an immediate impact. That’s the job of an Impact Player, isn’t it? I’m really glad I got the opportunity and could win it for the team. I’ve been working really hard in practice sessions, and I want to keep going like that. What was the reaction from your teammates, particularly the captain and the coach? They were very happy and have been very supportive. They knew I was going to nail the yorkers. When the coaches and captain give you so much confidence, the job becomes easier – actually, half the job is done there. You just have to go out and execute it, and I did exactly that. When did you find out that you would be called in as the Impact Player?” Around the 12th or 13th over. We were initially supposed to play a spinner, but the plan changed because of the dew. The situation required a fast bowler, and that’s what happened. I started warming up outside the ground and was ready. Mentally, I was switched on because when you’re among the five nominated substitutes, you have to be prepared. You never know when you’re going to be called upon, and when that opportunity comes, you have to seize it. That was my thought process. I love situations like this – I’ve always visualized myself in such moments, and that has really helped me. Since your debut in 2023, you’ve played only 12 games… I initially joined the RCB team as a net bowler and got a chance to bowl to Faf (du Plessis) and Maxwell (Glenn). Then everything changed. I made it into the RCB squad and gave my best in every opportunity I got. I worked hard on my fitness – I was a heavy kid back then – but I put in the effort, and the journey continues. Do you consider this your breakout performance in your career? Maybe. My debut game against Delhi went really well (3 for 20 in four overs). I think this is probably the sweetest and maybe the best performance of my IPL career so far. The situation here was different, but I’ve enjoyed both games. What was the message from the coaching staff when you were asked to go in? Go there and enjoy – that was the message they gave me. They told me, ‘It doesn’t matter what the result is, you’ve got to have fun.’ That is what they keep emphasizing. When coaches come to you and say that, it gives you a lot of confidence. What were your own plans going into the match? Before bowling the first over, I spoke to the captain (Shreyas Iyer) and Arshdeep (Singh). I told them I wanted to go wide, and Arsh agreed with the plan. Whatever we had tried earlier – bowling on the stumps or using slow bouncers – hadn’t worked. So we decided to try something different. We executed the plan really well. Marco (Jansen) also bowled exceptionally well in between my first two overs (16th), and that’s when he brought us back into the game. You bowled maximum deliveries to left-handed batter. Was it easier to bowl to them? Not really. I bowled three deliveries to Jos (Buttler), and I nailed the yorkers to him as well. I was pretty confident that I was going to nail my yorkers. It really didn’t matter to me who the batter was. How do you think the bowlers can survive in what is fast becoming a batter’s game? I don’t think I have an answer for that. It’s better if you ask somebody who’s really experienced. Where do you go from here? I’ll still go back to the nets tomorrow and will start working. The process remains the same. What is done is done and tomorrow is a new day.
