NEW DELHI: Despite being awarded the player of the series in the recently-concluded T20I series against Australia at home,
Ravi Bishnoi
failed to make the cut into the playing XI of Team India in the second T20I against South Africa on Tuesday.
His tally of nine wickets against Australia also saw him dislodge Afghanistan star spinner
Rashid Khan
to become the No.
1 T20I bowler in the world.
But legendary
Sunil Gavaskar
feels otherwise saying the young leg spinner has a long way to go and is still in the process of adapting to international cricket.
"Ravi Bishnoi... still finding his feet at the international level. Yes, he is the No. 1 T20 bowler in the world but again, if you get stuck into him, sometimes you tend to see him bowl faster and quicker. The faster you bowl on a good pitch, it gets that much easier for the batters because the pace is exactly what they are looking for," Gavaskar said while speaking to the host broadcaster.
However, Bishnoi's absence was felt as Kuldeep Yadav did not make much impact in India's five-wicket defeat in the rain-curtailed game.
Ahead of the match, Gavaskar expressed his belief that the pitch seemed better suited for
Ravindra Jadeja
rather than Bishnoi.
"If there is a bit of turn from the pitch, I think Jadeja [could inflict most damage]. He bowls so flat that he doesn't allow the batter any chance to go down the pitch and attack him. So if there's just a bit of assist, his four overs could be telling as far as India are concerned," he said.
Although India managed to post a score of 180/7 before rain intervened, forcing the conclusion of their innings with only three balls remaining, the challenging conditions posed a significant hurdle for the bowlers to defend the revised target of 152 in 15 overs.
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Gavaskar emphasised that conditions made the Indian bowlers' life tough and also credited South Africa for their well organised chase.
"It wasn't easy for the Indian bowlers. You could see that the ball was very wet. They had to keep wiping it which is never easy. Because the ball feels like soap in your hands. Even for the fielders, as the ball comes in and suddenly slips. Things didn't go India's way but compliments to South Africa on a well-organised chase," the former India captain said.
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