“For me, it’s just to do the simple things really well and hit the top of the stumps with the odd short ball and the odd slow ball and keeping it as simple as I can. Done a lot of work with Eric, trying to focus on my lines and mainly the lines.”
Overton has cranked it up to 150kph this IPL, but he understands that extreme pace alone won’t work on the flat, bash-through-the line pitches in India.
“No [fans don’t chant my name in England]. Not quite like it. The fact the fans have got behind me and feeling the love off them, it’s amazing”
Jamie Overton
“Pace can be good and it can also be bad at the same time,” Overton said. “If you don’t get it right, it does go a long way. And batters aren’t scared of pace anymore. The wickets are so good now, they’re so true, and batters are just playing some good shots and they’re a bit more used to it. But you’ve still got to have the control.
“Obviously, going back to the [T20] World Cup, that was one thing I wanted to improve on bowling, especially bowling over here in India. It’s very different bowling here than it is anywhere else in the world. I feel like I’ve got to bowl a bit fuller. The Indian players, they’re very good at hitting sort of behind square on the off side. So you’ve got to be really, really accurate with the line you want to bowl. A lot of planning goes on to where I want to execute and where I want to bowl the ball.”
Overton credited the CSK team management and their relaxed team culture for his success this season. “The first thing about the set-up: CSK is a phenomenal place to play for,” Overton said. “Chennai is a great franchise to be involved with. It’s a real family vibe. Every time, last year, even when I turned up, it felt like home straightaway and this year, it just felt exactly the same.”
His animated fist pumps have captured the attention of the Chepauk faithful so much that he is arguably CSK’s most popular overseas player this season.
“No [fans don’t chant my name in England]. Not quite like it,” Overton said. “The fact the fans have got behind me and feeling the love off them, it’s amazing. The Chennai, the Chepauk crowd, it’s phenomenal. They’re very intelligent, they’re very knowledgeable about cricket. It’s great to have your name chanted in the crowd, that’s for sure.”
CSK’s attack appeared thin, especially after the injuries to Nathan Ellis and Khaleel Ahmed, but Overton has given it some muscle and and a lot of hustle.
