'It was pretty hard to hit spin today' - Zampa

On Tuesday night, R Ashwin and Adam Zampa were introduced in the seventh and eighth overs respectively against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Ashwin went on to bowl four overs on the trot but Zampa was taken off after his first, in which he gave away only five runs. While Ashwin was tight at his end, Rajat Bhatia and Thisara Perera were going for runs in the middle overs.

Either by design or accident - because Bhatia and Perera were not able to rein in Sunrisers' batsmen - MS Dhoni brought back Zampa in the 16th over. Zampa struck with his second delivery as Yuvraj Singh could dispatch his googly only as far as long off. That wicket, Zampa said, gave him an extended spell, and he ended up taking two more wickets in his next over. Zampa was ultimately given the last over where after being hit for a six by Deepak Hooda, he went on to remove him, Naman Ojha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to finish with 6 for 19.

"I guess I don't know if it was the plan the whole way along," Zampa said about bowling at the death. "Obviously Ashwin bowled beautifully up top and he made my job a lot easier in the end, that's for sure. I guess the over in which I got Yuvraj out may have been my last over if it didn't go well. But yeah, it was made pretty obvious that it was pretty hard to hit spin today. So when they are coming hard, big boundaries and slow wickets, it does suit you."

Zampa has had a successful time in India over the past few months, finishing as Australia's joint second-highest wicket-taker in the World T20. In the IPL, however, Zampa has sat out nine games for Rising Pune Supergiants before getting an opportunity against Royal Challengers Bangalore after first-choice legspinner M Ashwin developed a side strain. He admitted it wasn't easy remaining on the sidelines.

"As my first season in IPL, you kind of want to come here and make an impression straight away," Zampa said. "To be fair, off the field all you can do is try and impress and then try get on the park. But also in saying that, coming off a big Australian season you don't want to over-train."

Moises Henriques, the Sunrisers allrounder and fellow Australian, was warm in his praise for Zampa. "I'm very happy that he's done well. He bowled well in the World Cup as well. And it's great for him to get an opportunity in the IPL as well and now to show the IPL what he can do," Henriques said. "It's not too often that you see someone take 6 for 19. What I've always liked about him, and when he even came through first for New South Wales as a really young kid, is that he always wants to bowl. He might get hit for a couple of sixes, but he always wants the ball in his hand.

"When Yuvi was set and on strike, he'd hit a couple of big sixes. But Adam bowled again. I was next in to bat. I thought, 'This is really going to test Adam, because Yuvi is obviously a very good player of spin bowling and is also very experienced'. But he got Yuvi out. The wicket was conducive to spin bowling, but you've got to give him credit."