Monday, January 3, 2011

Praveen Kumar

Picture of Praveen Kumar

Profile

Perhaps its Praveen Kumar's dual ability to take wickets and restrict an outflow of runs that has made the UP-born bowler a regular in limited overs cricket for the Indian cricket team, since his debut in late 2007. Unlike teammates Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma, Kumar's forte is variation coupled with precision in line and length, depending purely on natural bowling speed than aiming to exert harder for additional pace.


His career highlight would easily be two bowling spells with 4-fors Down Under against Sri Lanka and Australia, both in 2008, in merely his 3rd and 5th ODI outings. Tidy performances for Bangalore in the IPL added to his growing repute. As a dangerous pinch-hitter lower down the order, it's a rare all-round combination once reminiscent in Robin Singh - Kumar's forerunner in the all-rounder department. The latter, like Kumar now, was regarded as an ODI specialist. For the immediate future at least, that status quo doesn't look like it will budge for Praveen Kumar but the UP lad will do all that he can to change that.


Fast Facts

  • With 10 wickets in 4 matches in the Commonwealth Bank Series, 2007/08, Praveen Kumar had the best wickets-to-matches average for any bowler in the series.
  • He was the only player to scalp a hat-trick in IPL 3, and was the 7th bowler overall to achieve the feat in the IPL.
  • Along with Englishman Liam Plunkett and New Zealander Kyle Mills, Praveen Kumar is the only other bowler to dismiss all the dangerous Aussie trio of Gilchrist, Ponting and Clarke in a single ODI match.


Statistics

Show:
MatchesInningsRunsNOAvg.SR100's50's
ODI4824225713.2385.2201
T20316066000
IPL3824181710.64119.0700
CLT209221010.515000

Career

Span:
ODI:
2007-2010
T20:
2008-2010
IPL:
2008-2010
CLT20:
2009-2010
ODI
Debut:
India Vs Pakistan at Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Chogan Stadium), Jaipur - Nov 18, 2007
Last played:
India Vs New Zealand at MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Chennai (Madras) - Dec 10, 2010
T20
Debut:
India Vs Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne - Victoria - Feb 01, 2008
Last played:
India Vs South Africa at Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia - May 02, 2010
IPL
Debut:
Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Kolkata Knight Riders at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - Karnataka - Apr 18, 2008
Last played:
Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Deccan Chargers at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai - Apr 24, 2010
CLT20
Debut:
Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Cape Cobras at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - Karnataka - Oct 08, 2009
Last played:
Royal Challengers Bangalore Vs Chennai Super Kings at Kingsmead, Durban - Sep 24, 2010

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