Ravi Bishnoi picked up 2/17 in his debut T20I for India and won the Man of the Match award as West Indies lost by five wickets at the Eden Gardens.
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Ravi Bishnoi was handed his debut India cap by Yuzvendra Chahal in the T20I against West Indies in Kolkata. The Windies started off brilliantly with Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers looking in great touch. After Yuzvendra Chahal got the wicket of Mayers, it was the turn of Ravi Bishnoi to sparkle. His first over was nervous, conceding three wides. Bishnoi was taken off the attack but returned in the 11th over. After one more wide, he finally had his maiden wicket. Bowling the googly, Bishnoi made Roston Chase play down the wrong line and he was trapped plumb in front.
Things only became better for Bishnoi. In that same over, he sent back Rovman Powell with another googly as the batter mistimed the lofted shot to long-on. From that point on, he tormented the likes of Kieron Pollard and Pooran. Only one four was hit in his entire spell as he ended on 2/17 from his four overs. It was fitting that Bishnoi won the Man of the Match award on his debut.
Speaking after the win, Rohit Sharma gave many praises about Bishnoi’s talents. “Bishnoi is a very talented guy which is why we drafted him into the squad straight away. We see something different in him. He’s got a lot of variations and skill-set with him. He can bowl at any stage and it gives us a lot of options to rotate the other bowlers. Very happy with his first game for India and he’s got a bright future and it’s just about us now on how we use him,” Rohit said.
Read – Ravi Bishnoi Happy About Receiving India Call-up
Bishnoi’s haul of 2/17 was almost canceled out by Nicholas Pooran’s fifty. West Indies ended on 157/7. Rohit Sharma started aggressively but Ishan Kishan struggled. Kishan, who was the highest bid player in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction with Rs 15.25 crore, struggled to time the ball properly against the spinners. Rohit’s aggressive start had given them the cushion but in the middle overs, they struggled. Virat Kohli was dismissed for 17 while Rishabh Pant fell for 8. But, Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer steadied the ship and guided India over the line by six wickets with seven balls to spare.
With Bishnoi winning the Man of the Match, the young leggie did admit that he was nervous heading into the match. “I was nervous at the start but wanted to contribute for the team as we know West Indies is one of the strongest teams in T20 cricket. It’s slightly a challenge to grip the ball when there’s dew. I never thought about this (winning the MoM) but it’s a dream come true moment for me,” Bishnoi said. The second Twenty20 International will be played on February 18 at the same venue, with crowds expected for that game.
