Former India ace batter Gautam Gambhir was left surprised by the India Playing XI for IND vs SA 3rd T20I. The Men in Blue remained unchanged from their Playing XI vs SA for the 2nd clash. Gambhir questioned the omission of Ravi Bishnoi from the team and made it clear that it is the spinners who will scalp wickets in the middle overs.
“Probably, yes Ravi Bishnoi for one of the fast bowlers, definitely. You have got a left-arm wrist-spinner and a right-arm wrist spinner. That could have been a great attacking option. I am bit surprised that they have gone with the same playing XI” said Gautam Gambhir to Star Sports after the Toss.
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“Who is your best bet to take wickets in the powerplay? It has to be your leg-spinner. It can’t be fast bowlers against this kind of batting line-up. And that also in conditions like Johannesburg. Definitely a bit of surprise there with Bishnoi not playing. You should never become the Player of the Series (laughs). That’s the first criteria for getting dropped,” concluded Gambhir.
Ravi Bishnoi was the Player of the Series in the IND vs AUS T20I series. While Kuldeep Yadav was rested, Bishnoi showcased his mark and is a strong contender to make it to the T20 World Cup squad. He finished the series with 9 wickets.
He was dropped for the 2nd T20I for the returning Kuldeep and while everyone thought Bishnoi is ahead in the ranks to make to the Playing XI for 3rd match, but to no avail.
Gautam Gambhir expressed his surprise at Bishnoi’s exclusion from the team. He questioned that pacers don’t operate during the middle overs. And that is where a spinner like Bishnoi comes in. He slows down the run rate and exacts wickets in a spree to deal a hefty blow to the opposition.
India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar
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