WTC Final: New Zealand paceman Kyle Jamieson prepares with Dukes ball after Virat Kohli snub

Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli (left) with New Zealand paceman Kyle Jamieson. (Source: Twitter)

New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson, whose first six Test matches powered Kiwis into World Test Championship (WTC) final against India, ensured during Indian Premier League (IPL) that his franchise skipper Virat Kohli didn’t get to face him with the Dukes ball he was carrying for practice.

The tall pace bowler has picked 36 wickets at 13.27 and scored 226 runs at 56.5 as his team won all six Test matches he played in. Australia all-rounder Dan Christian, who was at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with Kohli and Jamieson, revealed in ‘The Grade Cricketer’ podcast that Jamieson told Kohli he won’t bowl at him with Dukes ball since he was likely to bowl at him in WTC final between India and New Zealand that begins on June 18.

“In the first week we were there, the three of us were sitting down at nets, and these two are talking about Test cricket. Virat says ‘Jamo, have you bowled much with the Dukes ball’ and they’re talking about that stuff, and Jamo is ‘I’ve got a couple here, I’ll have a bit of a bowl leading in before I go over there’,” Christian recalled in the podcast.

“And Virat says: ‘if you want to bowl at me in the nets I’m more than happy to face you.’ And Jamo is like: ‘no chance I’m going to bowl at you.’ He (Kohli) would get a good look at his release point and everything he does with the Dukes ball,” added Christian.

Jamieson admitted on Wednesday (May 26) that Dukes ball presents a different challenge from Kookaburra which the Kiwis are used to playing with. “It’s a new challenge for me and not something I’ve encountered too many times but it’s what we’ve been dealt,” Jamieson said on Wednesday.

“It (the ball) is certainly a little bit different; darker and harder and the seam is a little narrower. Trying to get used to it in hand and our conversations have been around what the Dukes ball can do, being mindful of the fact you don`t want to go searching too much in terms of trying to move it.”

(with IANS inputs)