IND vs IRE: Ravi Bishnoi Claims Ireland Are Not Weak Opponent, Says "You Can't Take Anyone Lightly"

Indian bowler Ravi Bishnoi claimed that Ireland are not a weak opponent after facing them in the first T20I on Friday (August 18) at Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin.

India won the toss, opted to bowl first, and restricted Ireland to 139 runs. Jasprit Bumrah impressed everyone after his stunning two wickets in his first over after coming back from injury. Ravi Bishnoi and Prasidh Krishna also picked two wickets each in their four-over spell.

However, rain delayed the start of the second innings and the target was reduced by the DLS method, which helped the Men in Blue clinch a two-run victory in the first 20-over match of the series.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened for the visitors and had a partnership of 46 runs while Sanju Samson scored the winning one run.

While speaking after the match, Ravi Bishnoi said that the one run scored by Sanju Samson was lucky for the Men in Blue as it helped them to get a win. Bishnoi further added that the last time he came to Dublin to play, the weather was the same.

“Lucky one run for us. The atmosphere (at The Village) was similar when I came here last year for both Sanju Samson and DK (Dinesh Karthik) bhaiyya. They have a good fan following here,” Ravi Bishnoi said.

In the short format, there’s no weak or strong team: Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi further said that the hosts have been doing well in the 20-over format and that one should not consider them as a light opponent. The 22-year-old bowler added that no team is weak or strong in white-ball cricket.

“Ireland have been doing well (in T20s). In T20 format, you cannot take anyone lightly. One over can change the game. If we hadn’t lost two wickets in the last over, it would have made a difference of 12 runs. Sanju bhaiya’s one run won us the game. In the short format there’s no weak or strong team,” Ravi Bishnoi further added.

The second T20I match between Jasprit Bumrah-led India and Paul Stirling’s Ireland will be played on Sunday (August 20) at Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin. The game will start at 7:30 PM IST.