IPL: Ravi Bishnoi excited to bowl to the likes of Rahul, Gayle and Maxwell at KXIP nets

Bishnoi also eager to learn from hero and mentor Anil Kumble in KXIP.

India’s U19 star Ravi Bishnoi, who turned heads with his performance in the latest edition of the Youth World Cup, is excited to be part of the Kings XI Punjab setup. He is also keeping his fingers crossed that IPL 2020 happens.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ravi is practicing on the roof of his house in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

“I practice on my roof because I can’t go out. I am taking all precautions. I practice on the roof of my house. It helps me in keeping my arms fit. I am praying this pandemic ends as soon as possible and life goes back to normal for everyone. I want my country to recover from this disaster,” Bishnoi said.

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“IPL should also start soon. I am eager to go out in the middle and perform for my team. With my bowling, I want to win matches for Kings XI Punjab,” Bishnoi told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.

Bishnoi had picked 17 wickets in the U19 World Cup 2020 for India, which lost to Bangladesh in the finals. He was picked by the KXIP franchise in auction for INR 2 crore. The leg-spinner is eager to learn from Anil Kumble, who is the director of operations for the franchise.

“I am really thankful to KXIP for picking me for this season. This will be a good opportunity to meet my idol Anil Kumble sir. I have a lot of questions in my diary that I will be asking him and I want to use all his tips and guidance in my career," Bishnoi told TimesofIndia.com.

Talking about what he wants to learn from a legend like Kumble, Bishnoi revealed,” Whenever I meet him, the first thing I will ask him will be - ‘sir, how did you bowl six different deliveries in an over?’. He has an amazing temperament and skills. The way he used to bowl in pressure situations and the way he handled that pressure was really mind-blowing. That’s why he is a legend.”

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“I am really eager to bowl to KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, and Glenn Maxwell at the nets. They are world-class batsmen and I would love to bowl to them during practice sessions. I will try to use all my skills in the nets," the youngster said.

Bishnoi mentioned that he wanted to become a medium pacer, but his mentors and childhood coaches Shahrukh Pathan and Pradyot Singh advised him to take up leg-spin.

“I started watching bowling videos of Anil sir and Shane Warne sir and I started emulating them. I used to pause the videos to see their fingers and grip over the ball. Sometimes, I work on a particular delivery for a full day,” Bishnoi signed off.