The young India men’s side didn’t make a great start, after enjoying their second title of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean, as they lost the first of the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe by 13 runs, under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, who has got full backing from the exciting new talent Ravi Bishnoi.
Opting to bowl first on a slow surface, India looked a bit rusty with the ball in hand, before they made a great comeback in the middle phase of the innings, by picking wickets at regular intervals;. The home side batters didn’t have much clue about facing the spin weapon of Ravi Bishnoi, who showed his variations to fox the batters and finished with figures of 4/13 in his four overs, including two maidens.
The Rajasthan-born slow blower was quite unlucky in missing out on the squad of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, as India captain Rohit Sharma and the selectors went with Kuldeep Yadav and two left-arm spinners.
‘The seniors have handed over the mantle to us’- Ravi Bishnoi
At one point in time, Ravi Bishnoi was the top-ranked T20I bowler in the ICC Men’s T20I bowler rankings, as he now has picked up 40 wickets in 25 innings, at an average of under 18 and a strike rate of less than 15, with an economy of 7.33, and a best figure of 4/13.
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The exclusion of the leg-spinner was quite applicable, given how much he struggled in the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Lucknow Super Giants. There were many games, where he didn’t even finish his full quota of four overs, as the captain KL Rahul seemed to lose belief in the bowler.
However, he showed great assistance with the ball on Saturday, having been in the brain of the Zimbabwe batters, who were not reading him from the hand and were always guessing the length and movement of the ball since it pitched in.
Coming into the post-match press conference, the 23-year-old bowler feels that it’s the best time for the young players to carry the team forward, with the senior players- Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja taking retirement from the format, keeping an eye on the next T20 World Cup 2026.
‘It’s time for new players. The senior players are retired and handed over the mantle to us. It’s our responsibility to take the flight ahead.’ Ravi Bishnoi expressed at the end of the game.
There were questions about the leadership of Shubman Gill, as the touring side stunned the Indian team in the first game of the series. However, the young member of the side has praised his captain and given the word of making a strong comeback in the second game.
‘Shubman’s captaincy is very good. His bowling changes were spot on, it’s a sign of good captaincy. We are trying our best and we need to bounce back stronger.’ Ravi Bishnoi remarked in the same presser. ‘We just need to come back tomorrow (Sunday) with a fresh mind for the second match.’
When asked about the lack of a team, he added that the struggle of stitching a big partnership was the reason for their failure.
‘It was a good game of cricket, but we collapsed, lost continuous wickets. A partnership would have made the game better for us. We could not do that. I think that made the difference.’ Ravi Bishnoi reflected on this.
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He also spoke about the learning of the game, besides touching on the bowling and batting performances of the opponent side.
‘Zimbabwe’s bowling and fielding were really good. They did not allow us to build partnerships.’ Ravi Bishnoi concluded. ‘We can learn something from every match. I am trying to learn from every match and get better at what I am doing.’
The second of the five-match T20I series will be played on July 07, at the Harare Sports Club.