'Thankfully I never felt insecure': Ravi Bishnoi opens up about his T20I snub from Team India

Ravi Bishnoi also admitted Yashasvi Jaiswal motivated him to play Test cricket.

Ravi Bishnoi | Getty Images

Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi has experienced significant success over the past few months after making comeback to the national side after nearly one year. However, the Indian selectors ignored Bishnoi between September 2022 and August 2023, leaving him confused about his snub.

Notably, Bishnoi successfully returned to the Indian cricket team and even surpassed Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan to claim the top spot in the ICC T20I bowler rankings during the India-Afghanistan series earlier this year.

This achievement has boosted the 22-year-old's confidence, and he now set his sights on performing well in the upcoming IPL 2024 with an aim to book a place in India’s squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

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Ravi Bishnoi was quoted as saying by Times of India: “I did not know what the reasoning was behind leaving me out. My two coaches, Pradyot Singh Rathore and Shahrukh Khan, ensured that I stayed in the right frame of mind and kept giving my best whenever I had an opportunity, be it in the IPL or in the domestic games.”

He added, “Thankfully I never felt insecure and changed the way I bowled. I just kept bowling more and worked on my batting. I follow a simple theory that the more you bowl the more you grow.”

The leg-spinner was happy to see how his U-19 teammates Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Tilak Varma have been performing at the highest level. He also admitted Yashasvi motivates him to play the longest form of the game.

Bishnoi stated, “They had fought hard in life, and it feels good that the boys I played with during Under-19 days have made it to the senior team as well. I must admit that Yashasvi has now motivated me to play Test cricket.”

The young spinner is on the Indian selectors’ radar for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 and he wants to do well for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2024 to fulfil his dream.

Bishnoi signed off by saying, “Who would not like to be a part of the World Cup squad? That’s my dream and a good show in the IPL can help.”

(With TOI Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 21 Mar, 2024

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