5 things you might still not know about Ravi Bishnoi
Indian leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday (September 5). The Jodhpur-born player came into the limelight after his fantastic performance for India U-19s in the U-19 World Cup 2020.
Two years later, Bishnoi received his maiden India cap at the senior level for a T20I against West Indies. So far, the 24-year-old has played 32 T20Is and one ODI for the Men in Blue, scalping a total of 49 wickets.
Most of the fans know the aforementioned things and that Ravi Bishnoi has been one of the top performers for Lucknow Super Giants in recent IPL seasons. However, on the occasion of his birthday, here are five relatively unknown facts about the leg-spinner.
#1 Ravi Bishnoi's father did not want him to become a cricketer
Unlike Shubman Gill, Ravi Bishnoi did not receive support from his father initially in his cricket journey. Ravi's father Mangilal Bishnoi worked as a headmaster in a government school in Rajasthan.
Mangilal did not want his son to pursue cricket as a career. However, Ravi's mother Sohni Devi would sit with him and watch cricket on TV while Mangilal was at school. After a heartbreak for non-selection in domestic cricket at the age-group level, Ravi's father wanted him out of the sport, but his coaches interfered.
#2 Ravi Bishnoi bowled to Jos Buttler in 2018
Bishnoi hails from Rajasthan, but he has never been a part of the Rajasthan Royals team in IPL. Not many fans would know that back in 2018, RR had Bishnoi in their practice camps as a support bowler.
Before IPL 2018 started, Bishnoi bowled against the Rajasthan Royals batters in the nets. One of the RR batters in that squad was current England T20I captain, Jos Buttler.
#3 Mumbai Indians were interested in signing Bishnoi
IPL 2020 was the first time Bishnoi entered the auction. At that time, he had not played for India U-19s in the U-19 World Cup. Still, multiple IPL teams showed interest in his services.
He was uncapped at that time and entered with a base price of ₹20 lakh. Mumbai Indians showed interest in him along with Punjab Kings. Eventually, PBKS signed him for ₹2 crore.
#4 Ravi Bishnoi dismissed N Jagadeesan and Washington Sundar on his T20 debut
Bishnoi represents Gujarat in domestic cricket now, but he played his first T20 match for Rajasthan in the 2019 domestic season. The leg-spinner received his maiden T20 cap ahead of a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Tamil Nadu in Surat.
He bowled an impressive spell of 2/20 on debut, dismissing N Jagadeesan and Washington Sundar. Rajasthan won that game by 53 runs.
#5 Ravi Bishnoi has 1 brother and 2 sisters
Bishnoi has kept his personal life away from social media platforms. Hence, most fans may not know that the leg-spinner has one brother and two sisters.
His brother's name is Ashok Bishnoi, while his sisters are Anita and Rinku Bishnoi. Back in 2022, the leg-spinner shared pictures with his two sisters on Instagram on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.