IND vs AUS: Ravi Bishnoi is front-runner for India’s T20 World Cup squad, says Aakash Chopra

India won the T20I series against Australia 4-1 as the hosts managed to defend 160 runs in a thriller 5th T20I match at M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru on December 4, Sunday.

IND vs AUS 5th T20I: Scorecard | Highlights

India’s young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was named as the Player of the series for his impressive performance throughout as he scalped 9 wickets in 5 matches, finishing off as the leading wicket-taker.

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded Bishnoi’s performance on his YouTube channel where he pointed out how it was crucial for the leg-spinner to perform well, knowing he will face a tough competition in the lead up to the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in June next year.

“Ravi Bishnoi, if you talk about leg-spinners, this was an extremely important series for him, according to me. He is the frontrunner currently, but there will be pressure on him when you get close to the World Cup,” said Chopra.

Bishnoi scalped 2 wickets and gave just 29 runs in the 4 overs in the 5th T20I against Australia as India won the match by 6 runs. Chopra reckoned that despite Bishnoi being the front-runner to be selected for the marquee tournament, there will be a plethora of spinners who will be in contention for the spot in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

“Yuzvendra Chahal, Mayank Markande or Rahul Chahar could come. The list is long. So it was important for him to do well and he did well from the first to the last match,” said Chopra.

Yuzvendra Chahal has been selected for India’s ODI squad for their tour to South Africa. Bishnoi, along with Kuldeep Yadav are part of the T20I squad. Hence, there will be tough competition among India’s leg-spinners. However, the likes of Mayank Markande and Rahul Chahar don’t seem to be in the national reckoning currently.

Chopra lauded Bishnoi for his performance and mentioned that his impact didn’t reduce as the series progressed.

“There is one thing different in bilateral series. In World Cups, you play an opponent for the second time only in the semi-finals, but in bilaterals, by the fifth game, you know what the bowler does or what the batter does. Despite that, to remain effective, I think Ravi Bishnoi ticked a very important box. Bowling in the powerplay, ticked another very important box. He also bowled with a wet ball. So he has ticked all the boxes,” said Chopra.

Bishnoi’s talent has been recognised beyond this series, earning him praise from legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and a call-up for the upcoming 3-match T20I series against South Africa. With the T20 World Cup 2024 on the horizon, his continued good form could see him contend for the specialist spinner’s spot in the Indian team.