Alongside the notable batting prowess of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi is probably the biggest achiever in the recently-held ICC Under 19 World Cup. At the tournament in South Africa, the 19 year old took a major 19 wickets in just 6 matches. Not only did the wickets make him the highest wicket-taker of the tournament, but he also did it at a bewildering economy rate of 3.48. He became the man of the match twice, and had three 4 wicket matches: his man-of-the match wins against Japan and New Zealand, and in the topsy-turvy final against Bangladesh.
In an interview with Times Of India, Bishnoi voiced his happiness from the tournament, where India ended up as the runners-up. “It’s every cricketer’s dreams to represent the country at the World Cup. I am happy that I am in that league now. The journey was wonderful and there were a lot to learn from the tournament. You get to meet players from all around the world and share your experiences. I enjoyed a lot. I have always wanted to be a match-winner for my team,” Bishnoi declared.
In the final, Bishnoi shone brightly as he defended a meagre total of 177. While Bangladesh was batting, the leg-spinner took wicket after wicket and at one point reduced them to 102 for 6, bringing back memories and hope of another ’83 moment. “When I claimed some quick Bangladeshi wickets (in the final), we were confident that we are back in the game. But don’t want to think about it much now. Not just me, everyone was dejected in the dressing room. We had lost the trophy. But this is not the end for us. We all have to go a long way,” Bishnoi said.
Bishnoi opined that maybe it wasn’t India’s day at the final against Bangladesh. “We played really well throughout the tournament. We were a dominant side. Our side has a talented bunch of players. We defeated big teams like Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand. Maybe it wasn’t our day in the final. In the final too, we fought bravely. We didn’t give up. We fought till the end and were screaming after taking every single Bangladesh wicket. We didn’t have much runs on the board. I am sure 30 or 40 more runs would have made a difference,” he said.
Bishnoi’s fav spinners are Anil Kumble and Shane Warne, and he cannot stop getting inspired by the behemoths of the game. “Whenever I start an over, I always want to bowl every single delivery at the stumps. Because this doesn’t let a batsman leave the ball. The ball will automatically push a batsman to play a shot. And when he will play, he will commit some mistake and give his wicket. If you give him room, he will have enough time to play a shot and score runs. If you bowl at the stumps, he will have to play that delivery at any cost. Bowling on the off and middle stumps has worked a lot for me. Apart from that, leg spin and googlies are my main weapons, especially googlies. I bowl at least one googly in six deliveries I bowl in an over. The googly has many a time given me success. This is the art I have learnt from Warne and Kumble sir.”
As Kumble is the DoCO and Head Coach at Kings XI Punjab, Bishnoi, who has been bought by them at IPL auction, will finally get to meet him. “I am really excited to meet him. I have a list of questions for him. I look forward to learning as much as possible from him. Those learnings and tips from him will help a lot in my career. “The one thing I will request him to teach me is the art of bowling the flipper. This is on top of my list. I want to take it a step at a time. After the World Cup, the target is to perform well for KXIP in IPL. There have been cricketers who got a chance in the Indian team after performing magnificently in the IPL. My ultimate dream is to play for India.”
