Young Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi played a crucial role in the Men in Blue’s series-clinching 20-run win over Australia in the fourth T20I match in Raipur on Friday (December 1).
Bishnoi (1/17 in 4 overs) bowled his first over during the powerplay, the 4th over, trying to contain the damage caused by Australia with their aggressive start, where the tourists scored 40 runs in the first three overs of the chase in Raipur.
Team India, defending a total of 174 runs in Raipur, faced a challenging situation, especially after Australia's quick start. But then Bishnoi made a significant impact by dismissing opener Josh Philippe (8) with his first ball.
Throughout the game, he managed to control the Australian batting line-up and, along with Akshar Patel (3/16), created pressure on the Kangaroos during the middle overs.
When asked about his strategy, Bishnoi said that he was brought in during the powerplay to minimize the damage caused by the Australian openers, especially Travis Head (31 runs off 16 balls) in Raipur.
Ravi Bishnoi said after the match: “There were no particular plans for my bowling in the Powerplay. It was the demand of the situation, and I just came and executed what I could do. Surya bhai (Suryakumar Yadav) asked me to bowl in the Powerplay, and I am happy to come and deliver for my side when needed. The atmosphere in this dressing room is great, we're all of similar age and have played together a lot.”
Bishnoi signed off by saying, “The ball is coming out of the hand nicely. Happy with my performance. My coach (Sairaj Bahutule) likes the way I am performing. He said to keep doing the same things as I am doing now. He backs our strengths and backs us 100%, he says feel free to try new things that you're sure about.”
Notably, India will face Australia in the fifth and final T20I on December 3 in Bengaluru.
(With ANI Inputs)
