Bishnoi conceded 29 runs in the 17th over which tilted the game in England’s favour.
Former cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh has slammed India skipper Shreyas Iyer’s decision to bowl Ravi Bishnoi in the 17th over of England’s chase during the second T20I at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday (July 4).
England’s chase of 191 got off to a shaky start as Arshdeep Singh dismissed openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler for ducks in the very first over.
Entering at No. 3, captain Harry Brook single-handedly flipped the pressure back onto India by smashing a breathtaking 39 off just 15 balls. Following Brook's exit, Jacob Bethell teamed up with Tom Banton to anchor a critical 67-run stand that kept England's required run rate entirely manageable.
India regained control in the middle overs as Arshdeep returned to dismiss Banton for 39, while Varun Chakaravarthy removed Will Jacks for 9. However, in the 17th over, Bethell slammed Bishnoi for 29 runs to tilt the game in England’s favour.
The hosts eventually reached the target with an over to spare, with Bethell finishing unbeaten on 76 off 46 balls, gaining a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
"I was surprised Shreyas Iyer went to Bishnoi for the 17th over. I remember a CSK vs PBKS game where Chahal bowled three outstanding overs. Yet, Shreyas Iyer did not use his fourth over. After that match, when asked, Iyer said Dube batting prevented him from using Chahal because of matchups. He said if Dube struck two or three sixes, it would backfire on them. Yet, here there were two left-handers in Bethell and Curran. And still in English conditions with two lefties, why did Iyer go for Bishnoi?" Ramesh said in a video shared on his Instagram handle.
"Given that a spinner had to eventually bowl that over, Iyer should have front-loaded Bishnoi and finished his overs before and used one of his two other experienced spinners for the 17th over," he added.
Ravi Bishnoi conceded 60 runs in his quota of four overs and failed to claim a wicket in the Manchester T20I. The leg-spinner also bowled three no-balls which cost India dearly.
His lack of discipline drew sharp criticism from Ramesh, who expressed frustration that a spinner would bowl a no-ball.
"Bishnoi gifted England a game that was in India's hands. A spinner bowling a single no-ball is a crime. But for him to bowl two in a single over, that was so crucial, lost India the game. Yes, he can say he tried to create an angle by going wide of the crease, which resulted in the no-balls. Yet, Axar Patel, who's taller than you and uses the wide of the crease angle way more, has never made this mistake," Ramesh stated.
"T20 is such a format where a bowler has no control over the outcome once he delivers the ball. But not bowling a no-ball is in your control. Especially a spinner should never bowl a no-ball," he further remarked.
The third T20I will be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Tuesday (July 7).