India spinner Ravi Bishnoi expresses his desire to bowl with Afghanistan star spinner Rashid Khan

Add as a preferred source on Google

New Delhi, Sep 21: Young India leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has received a lot of appreciation from cricket pundits in his short career for his brave bowling performances. The right-arm spinner, who has partnered with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, has expressed his desire to bowl with Afghanistan spin sensation Rashid Khan.

The 22-year-old, in an exclusive interview on Sports Over the Top on Sports18, said, "It was fun bowling with Yuzvendra Chahal as you know he is one of the top 5 spinners right now. If I am fortunate enough, I would love to bowl with Rashid Khan because I will get to learn how to bowl in a partnership."

Bishnoi's rise from U19s to senior has been fizzy and fast, just the way he bowls. In the candid interview, the Rajasthan lad also spoke about his journey of becoming the leg-spinner that he is.

"I started as a medium pacer but switched to leg-spin and developed an interest and enjoyed the art of leg spin. That is when I started taking cricket seriously when I was around 11-12 years old," remembers Bishnoi who idolises Anil Kumble and Shane Warne.

A newbie in the Team India system, Bishnoi's debut against West Indies earned him a man-of-the-match picking up two for 17 from his quota of four overs. Since then, he has snapped 16 wickets in ten matches. His gutsy exhibition against Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup earned him plaudits but he missed the bus for the 2022 T20 World Cup, almost. He does not feature in India's final squad but is travelling to the competition as a reserve.

The Lucknow Super Giants spinner also credited his parents and the people who supported him in his initial days as a budding cricketer. "My two coaches have supported me throughout the journey, and they have been my backbone. During the starting days, my parents were very supportive but in Indian culture, there is a belief that there is no scope in sports. After a few years when my coaches explained my potential to them, they started supporting me," he added further.

The Jodhpur-born player was the highest wicket-taker at the 2020 U19 World Cup which got him a handsome IPL contract with Punjab Kings soon after. He kept his economy at 6.96 in 23 games and snapped Rishabh Pant's wicket on his debut against Delhi Capitals in September 2020. "I will always remember that moment because as a youngster you always dream of this, and the first wicket is always memorable so I will always cherish that moment."

Since then, he has emerged as one of the top leg spinners in the IPL which also catapulted him in senior reckoning. "The IPL has supported me a lot because in age group cricket everyone is of the same age or maybe younger but in IPL there is no age limit, senior players, international players so you get to learn a lot when you share the dressing room with these players and you get to bowl to so many legends," added Bishnoi.

Watch Sports18's daily sports news show 'Sports Over the Top', every weeknight at 8 PM, LIVE & Exclusive on Sports18 1 SD & HD.