India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday heaped praise on 21-year-old Ravi Bishnoi, who made his T20I debut in the first match of the series against West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Bishnoi took 2 wickets and conceded just 17 runs as India managed to restrict West Indies to just 157 runs in 20 overs. 6-wicket win 1-0 lead In a 3-match series.
Speaking after leading India to its fourth consecutive win in the T20I format since taking over as full-time captain, Rohit said that India is definitely seeing something different in Bishnoi, who compared the leg break in the first T20I. I had thrown more googlies.
India vs West Indies, 1st T20I match: Highlights
India went ahead and picked up two wrist spinners, knowing Bishnoi’s ability to bowl consistently wrong. The move worked as two leg-spinners hurt West Indies in the middle overs, taking 3 crucial wickets. Bishnoi was impressive on his debut as he took 2 for just 17 runs in his 4-over spell.
Bishnoi was also a part of the ODI squad but Rohit said that the team wants to draft him directly in the T20I XI, adding that the young leg-spinner has a bright future ahead of him. It was no surprise when Lucknow Super Giants drafted Bishnoi ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction as the spinner continues to prove his mettle at the highest level.
Rohit said after India’s 6-wicket win, “Bishnoi is a very talented guy, so we picked him up right away. We see something different in him. He has a lot of variety and skills.”
“He can bowl at any level and it gives us a lot of options to rotate other bowlers. Very happy with his first game for India and he has got a bright future and now it is about us. How do we use that?”
Rohit Sharma supports Ishan Kishan
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma threw his weight behind Ishan Kishan, who struggled to get going after being given an opportunity to open with his captain in the absence of KL Rahul. While Rohit got off to a good start, scoring 40 off just 19 balls, Ishaan took 42 for 35 and was dismissed at a crucial juncture, putting pressure on the middle order.
Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer’s unbeaten 5th wicket partnership helped India crush the target of 158 runs in just 18.5 overs despite Ishan’s involuntary innings.
Rohit admitted that there is a lot of pressure on young Ishaan, who became the costliest buyer in the IPL 2022 mega auction as Mumbai Indians picked him for Rs 15.25 crore.
Notably, the captain was seen having a long chat with Ishan Kishan after the T20Is ended.
“I have been talking to him for a long time. When he was playing with Mumbai Indians in the middle order which was not his natural position… We saw in Chennai (in IPL 2021) when the pitch was slow. ‘Able to go No, we just want to make sure that we give him the confidence he needs to do and look to find that awkward boundary in the middle,’ said Rohit.
“It’s just about rotating the strike in the middle and with Ishaan it’s about getting some game time and dressing up in blue and playing for India, there’s a lot of pressure. It’s ours to make sure.” The job is to be quite comfortable whenever he steps out.” added.