File photo of Indian cricket team spinner Ravi Bishnoi© AFP
Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar believes that despite becoming the top ranked T20I bowler in the world, spinner Ravi Bishnoi is new to the international stage and he has considerable gaps in his bowling as of now. Bishnoi was surprisingly dropped from the playing XI for the second T20I match against South Africa and was replaced with Kuldeep Yadav. Ahead of the match, Gavaskar said that the pitch in Gqeberha was more suited to Ravindra Jadeja than Bishnoi.
“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 was quoted as saying byTimes of India to Star Sports.
“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.
India ended up losing the match by five wickets (DLS) with the bowlers having a bad outing. Gavaskar pointed out the wet outfield and rain caused a problem for the bowlers to grip the ball properly and as a result, it became extremely tough for them to execute their plans properly.
“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 explained.
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