"Ravi Bishnoi Is The No. 1 T20 Bowler In The World But..." - Sunil Gavaskar
Published - 13 Dec 2023, 05:18 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:23 AM
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar defended the young spinner Ravi Bishnoi’s exclusion from the playing XI during the second T20I against South Africa. Gavaskar emphasized that Bishnoi is still relatively new in international cricket and has room for improvement.
The Indian team chose to include Kuldeep Yadav as the wrist spinner instead of Ravi Bishnoi. Unfortunately, the decision did not yield positive results, leading to India’s five-wicket loss via the DLS method. India trails 0-1 with one game to go in the ongoing series.
Ravindra Jadeja Doesn’t Allow The Batter – Sunil Gavaskar
Speaking to the host broadcaster, Sunil Gavaskar acknowledged Ravi Bishnoi’s top T20I bowler rankings but stated that Ravindra Jadeja was better suited for the conditions.
“If there is a bit of turn from the pitch, I think Jadeja [could inflict most damage]. He bowls so flat that he doesn’t allow the batter any chance to go down the pitch and attack him. So if there’s just a bit of assist, his four overs could be telling as far as India are concerned,” Gavaskar said.
“Ravi Bishnoi… still finding his feet at the international level. Yes, he is the No. 1 T20 bowler in the world but again, if you get stuck into him, sometimes you tend to see him bowl faster and quicker. The faster you bowl on a good pitch, it gets that much easier for the batters because the pace is exactly what they are looking for,” he added.
The Ball Was Very Wet – Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary batter highlighted that Indian spinners faced difficulties gripping the ball in challenging conditions and credited South African batters for executing a well-planned chase.
“It wasn’t easy for the Indian bowlers. You could see that the ball was very wet. They had to keep wiping it which is never easy. Because the ball feels like soap in your hands. Even for the fielders, as the ball comes in and suddenly slips. Things didn’t go India’s way but compliments to South Africa on a well-organised chase,” Gavaskar further added.
South Africa had a strong start while chasing a target of 152 in 15 overs. Openers Reeza Hendricks and Matthew Breetzke added 42 runs inside three overs. Tristan Stubbs and Andile Phehlukwayo secured a victory for South Africa, with the latter hitting a six off Jadeja.
