It's our responsibility to take the team forward: Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi had a superb day on the field on July 6 (Saturday) when he finished with career-best figures of 4/13 against Zimbabwe, which also included a couple of maidens. His effort saw India restrict Zimbabwe to 115/9 in the first T20 International (T20I) in Harare. 

However, India succumbed to a 13-run loss, which was their first-ever loss in the format in 2024. With plenty of senior players retired post the T20 World Cup 2024, Bishnoi believes that it is the responsibility of the new-gen players to take India forward, as senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have announced their retirement from the format.

“It's time for new players. The senior players are retired and handed over the mantle to us. It's our responsibility to take the flight ahead," Bishnoi said at the post-match press conference. 

Despite the loss, Bishnoi praised the way Shubman Gill led in his very first match in charge. “Shubman’s captaincy is very good. His bowling changes were spot on, it’s a sign of good captaincy, We just need to come back tomorrow [Sunday] with a fresh mind for the second match," he said.

Bishnoi also lauded the way Zimbabwe bowled and did not allow India to build partnerships, which he believes was the main reason for the loss. Only a couple of partnerships for India went above 20, while they had as many as five stands that did not get into double figures. They have to set this straight in the second T20I if they want to level the series.

“It was a good game of cricket, but we collapsed, lost continuous wickets. A partnership would have made the game better for us. We could not do that. I think that made the difference,” he said. 

“Zimbabwe's bowling and fielding were really good. They did not allow us to build partnerships."

After the loss, Gill, in the post-match presentation, admitted that many of his players were rusty. Bishnoi, who plies his trade with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) believes it is all about turning up to the second T20I with a fresh mind. 

“We are trying our best, and we need to bounce back stronger. We just need to come back tomorrow (Sunday) with a fresh mind for the second match,” the 23-year-old said.

After the conclusion of the second T20I, India will have the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam, and Sanju Samson return to the squad following their triumphant T20 World Cup 2024 campaign to further give them a boost.

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