Oh, how fast the night changes! Ravi Bishnoi, who was the world’s No. 1 T20I bowler until January 2024 and is still ranked 5th in the ICC ranking, hasn’t been included in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. One could still understand that he couldn’t make the cut in the main 15-man lineup, but to not even make the reserve list is truly shocking.
Thought of as the best leg-spinner in India until a couple of months ago, he’s slipped so further down the ranks that Khaleel Ahmed, someone who hasn’t represented the Indian cricket team since 2019, has made the cut.
IPL form reason behind T20 World Cup 2024 omission?
His absence could be attributed to his one and only competitor at the moment, Yuzvendra Chahal. The veteran leg spinner hasn’t been the No. 1 choice for the last couple of years, and despite making his T20I debut in 2016, he hasn’t played in a T20 World Cup. Chahal last played against the West Indies in August 2023 and didn’t impress much. So why has Chahal been included and Ravi Bishnoi left out?
The simple answer is his form. After a poor series against Afghanistan in January, Bishnoi returned to the format in late March for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2024. The 23-year-old was expected to replicate his international success, but unfortunately, that wasn’t to be.
Nine matches into the season, he’s got just 5 wickets in his bag. His economy has been fine, but his average and strike rate are through the roof.
IPL 2024: Ravi Bishnoi vs Yuzvendra Chahal
As a quick leg spinner, Bishnoi doesn’t turn the big, especially when compared with Chahal. Instead, he relies on his googly and superior control to make batters’ lives difficult. But nothing seems to be working for him.
His captain, KL Rahul, hasn’t been trusting him either. He’s bowled just 25.4 overs compared to Chahal’s 34 in the same number of matches. In LSG’s last match against the Rajasthan Royals, he was given just one over, and that too in the 16th over of the match.
As Bishnoi struggled, the Rajasthan Royals spinner thrived. Chahal has taken 9 of 13 wickets in the middle overs (7-15), a place where spinners are generally used in T20s. But he’s been offering utility in the death overs as well. Bishnoi, in comparison, has just 2 wickets in the middle overs and hasn’t been handy in the 16-20 overs either.
Despite the BCCI putting emphasis on past international performances being valued in T20 World Cup 2024 squad selection, it looks like Ravi Bishnoi has become a victim of recency bias (IPL 2024), and while others like Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill are in the squad, he’s nowhere to be found.
| Player | Inn | Wkts | Avg | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 9 | 13 | 23.53 | 9 | 15.69 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 9 | 5 | 45 | 8.76 | 30.8 |
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