Former Indian leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan criticised Ravi Bishnoi’s performance after Team India suffered a four-wicket loss against England at Old Trafford, Manchester on Saturday.
Bishnoi was not up to the mark as he conceded 60 runs in his quota of four overs. The leg-spinner was taken for 29 runs in the 17th over he bowled by Jacob Bethell and it was the turning point of the game. Bishnoi bowled two back-foot no-balls and he was taken to the cleaners by England’s left-hander.
Sivaramakrishnan said bowling a no-ball is a crime for a spinner.
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan said in an interview with RevSportz, “It’s a crime for a spinner to be bowling a no-ball, and more so in modern-day cricket when they’re playing a lot of T20 cricket. The first thing that a coach needs to check is the alignment of the bowler. I think Ravi Bishnoi is not a conventional leg-spinner to begin with.”
The former spinner urged spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule to work with Bishnoi on his run-up.
“Spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule should have checked his alignment and his back-foot landing. And as a coach, what I do is put a few cones on the return crease. And every time he stamps the cone, he knows it’s a no-ball. There’s no point in bowling illegal deliveries as no matter how good the ball is, it’s not going to fetch you a wicket.”
The former Indian cricketer suggested that Bishnoi should be rested in the third T20I against England.
“If he does play the next game, I would tell Sairaj Bahutule to put cones and make him run a lot straighter. This has become a habit and nobody has corrected Ravi Bishnoi. It’s going to be virtually impossible for him to change in a couple of days. So, I would suggest that he be rested and, if they can have another bowling option, they can try that particular bowler,” said Sivaramakrishnan (via the aforementioned source).
“But if he wants to correct his action, it will take a while. You’ve got to unlearn all the mistakes and learn the correct things all over again.”
The third T20I between England and India will be played at Nottingham on Tuesday.
