Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said that Ravi Bishnoi should be India’s preferred wrist-spinner for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in June. However, India have been facing Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series, with the first game they won in Mohali on Thursday, January 11. Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav are the two wrist-spinners in India’s 16-member squad for the series as well.
During an interaction on the Star Sports show ‘Game Plan’, Gavaskar was asked to choose between Bishnoi, Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal as India’s preferred wrist-spinner for the mega event. He again added that Ravi Bishnoi can also wield the willow effectively. Gavaskar cited the example that the young spinner took his team over the line in Avesh Khan’s company in their IPL 2023 away game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore as well.
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He said: “Ravi Bishnoi for me because apart from bowling, he is a very good fielder. He is a better fielder than Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. He can bat as well, the way he applied his brains and won his side the match with his calmness in the last IPL,” He continued. “I feel he and Avesh Khan had won their side the match against RCB. So Ravi Bishnoi for me.”
Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan was also asked who is ahead in the race among Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan for a place in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad. And, he said that Arshdeep Singh is way ahead of others.
“Arshdeep Singh is far ahead. He has not performed as well in T20 cricket as we were expecting for sure but he performed very well in ODI cricket on the South African tour. It will be easy for him to carry that confidence into T20 cricket based on his skills,” he stated. “The IPL will be extremely important but among these three, I feel Arshdeep Singh is ahead at the moment. Mukesh and Avesh have the skills, but being a left-armer who can bowl with the new ball and yorkers with the old ball, Arshdeep brings different skills that are needed in a team.”
