"The wait is over" - Fans react to Ravi Bishnoi’s inclusion in playing XI for IND vs WI 2nd T20I
Ravi Bishnoi has replaced injured Kuldeep Yadav as a forced change in the playing XI for the second T20I between India and West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Sunday, August 6. The development came as Kuldeep got hit while batting in the nets. The wrist-spinner was unavailable for selection due to a sore left thumb.
For the uninitiated, Bishnoi is making his comeback to the playing XI after a gap of 11 months. The leg-spinner played his last T20I against Pakistan in Dubai in the 2022 Asia Cup in September last year. The 22-year-old has scalped 16 wickets in 10 games so far. He will now look to grab the opportunity with both hands.
Speaking at the toss, India captain Hardik Pandya said:
“We have a forced change. Kuldeep got a hit on the hand yesterday in the nets, it is not serious and just a precautionary measure. Ravi Bishnoi comes in place of him.”
Fans on Twitter were excited to see Ravi Bishnoi in the India playing XI. One user tweeted:
"Finally, the wait is over"
Finally, The wait is over.
Ravi Bishnoi is playing today! #WIvsIND pic.twitter.com/IpcOrsr9uz
Here are some of the other Twitter reactions:
Ravi Bishnoi is playing! twitter.com/BCCI/status/16…
@mufaddal_vohra LSG blood Ravi Bishnoi
pic.twitter.com/wBxKy2O04JBishnoi playing ☝️🔥 pic.twitter.com/wBxKy2O04J
@CricCrazyJohns Finally Bishnoi playing T20I after waiting for almost a year !!!!
Chalo luck se hi sahi, Bishnoi ko chance toh mila twitter.com/BCCI/status/16…
Good to see Bishnoi back. Had done very little wrong in the opportunities he got in India colors last year before being discarded. Of course, the presence of Yuzi in the squad would mean he would need to grab pretty much every opportunity he gets. Let's see what he does today.
@CricCrazyJohns King is back
@ImTanujSingh Bringing in Ravi Bishnoi to replace Kuldeep Yadav in India's lineup seems like a good decision. Bishnoi has shown promise and potential, and this change could add a fresh perspective to the team's strategy.
India opt to bat against West Indies
Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to bat first in the second T20I after suffering a narrow four-run loss in the opener. He said at the toss:
“We will bat first, surface looks good. We will put good score on the board. I don't think we did much wrong in the last game, we spoke about it and the focus is to learn and keep going ahead."
Pandya added:
"When we have these totals (chasing 9 or 10 an over), you gotta keep wickets in hand and that's what happened in the last game where we lost a couple of wickets during crunch moments.”
The Rovman Powell-led West Indies team, meanwhile, has fielded an unchanged side.
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (w), Rovman Powell (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy.
India (Playing XI): Ishan Kishan (w), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi.
Click here to follow IND vs WI 2nd T20I live score updates.