"The biggest game-changing moment was when Bishnoi got his wicket" - Pragyan Ojha on the importance of Shikhar Dhawan's wicket during LSG vs PBKs in IPL 2022
Former India bowler Pragyan Ojha believes that Shikhar Dhawan's wicket in the second innings paved the way for the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) victory over the Punjab Kings in their IPL 2022 meeting. The KL Rahul-led side emerged victorious by 21-runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
Shikhar Dhawan was undone by a very full delivery by Ravi Bishnoi. Struggling with 5 runs off 14 deliveries, the left-handed opener decided to bring out a sweep shot, but completely missed the delivery and ended up being clean bowled.
That's that from Match 42.
@LucknowIPL win by 20 runs and add two more points to their tally.
Scorecard - bit.ly/TataIpl-2022-42 #PBKSvLSG #TATAIPL https://t.co/dfSJXzHcfG
Opining that Dhawan's wicket was crucial as he would have anchored the chase, Ojha said on Cricbuzz:
"The biggest game-changing moment was when Bishnoi got the wicket of Dhawan. He was going to be the anchor of the chase. Krunal Pandya bowled with discipline and read the wicket very well. He used the bounce to very good effect, most of his balls were hitting the top portion of the bat. He kept it short of a length, so batters were not able to get it in their spot."
Despite claiming Dhawan's prized scalp in the first over after the powerplay, Bishnoi was subjected to an expensive spell. The leg-spinner conceded 41 runs off his four overs. The youngster rarely showed any variation in terms of pace, often hitting the 90kmph mark.
Noting that Bishnoi will not be as effective if he bowls with flight, former Indian batter Virender Sehwag said:
"I don't think Bishnoi needs to change his pace. He has had success in the IPL and even in the Indian team by bowling like this. This is his success mantra. If he bowls slower, I don't think he will be as effective. The wicket of Jitesh Sharma by Pandya was a typical Test match wicket. I'm a little disappointed in Jitesh Sharma as he has played so much domestic cricket."
Picked up by LSG ahead of the IPL mega auction, Bishnoi has picked up seven wickets in nine matches with an economy of 8.23.
"It is fine if you are not connecting bat with ball, but don't get out" - Virender Sehwag on Shikhar Dhawan's dismissal
Chasing a tricky 154 run target for victory, the left-hand opener was far from his usual fluent touch. Coming on the back of a match-winning innings against CSK, he was expected to anchor the innings.
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Believing that Dhawan should have protected his wicket despite a rough start to his innings, Sehwag said:
"Looking at his innings, it is fine if you are not connecting bat with ball, but don't get out, the target was also not that much today. Mayank Agarwal was maintaining the required rate from the other end, so there was no real pressure on him."
The former Indian player also expressed displeasure over the manner with which Liam Livingstone lost his wicket. He said:
"Livingstone's shot was the worst. You can hit sixes down the ground, pull or cut, but why get out trying to hit unorthodox shots. Had he played even normal cricket, PBKS would have won the match with an over to spare."
Following a patchy start to his innings, the Englishman gathered momentum with twin sixes off Ravi Bishnoi. However, he lost his wicket after trying to play an unorthodox lap shot over fine leg.
PBKS will next face table-toppers Gujarat Titans (GT) on May 3 (Tuesday) at the DY Patil Stadium.