Saiteja and Raju bowled really well and that allowed me to bowl my heart out: Prithvi Raj

Left-arm pacer Prithviraj Yarra, who picked up four for 46 for Andhra to bowl out Tamil Nadu for 182 in the ongoing Ranji Trophy match here on Saturday, said the plan for the bowling unit was to be consistent with the line and length.

“The 5-6 m length and around the off-stump (the line). It sounds very simple, but when a bowler is bowling consistently there, it makes it really uncomfortable for them (the batters). So, we just tried to bowl as many balls there as possible,” he said.

“Our coach, Gary Stead, keeps saying, ‘Let’s bowl in partnerships. Let’s build pressure from both sides. And even if you don’t get a wicket in that spell, the next bowler who comes in, he’ll get one or two wickets.’

“So, that’s what happened today. Both our new-ball bowlers, Saiteja and the debutant K.S. Raju, bowled really well. And that allowed me to come and bowl my heart out – to bend my back and bowl fast,” he added.

Prithvi Raj highlighted how Stead provides small but impactful suggestions. “He brings in that small one-percent factor that we miss out when we are playing. Sometimes, when I’m bowling, he tells me to just calm down a little and not get overexcited – to just go with the process. So, simple points like that, which we sometimes miss out.”

The 27-year-old, based in Visakhapatnam, is a final-year engineering student at a private college on the outskirts of the city. He trains at the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) academy in Vizianagaram, located close to his college.