IPL 2020 | Learnt to never give up and have self-belief from Anil Kumble, reveals Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi who graduated from U-19 cricket rather fast and made smooth transition to the big stage revealed that Anil Kumble taught him to have self-belief and never give up. The leg-spinner was one of the most impressive youngsters from the recently concluded IPL 2020 that Mumbai won.
Unlike his U-19 teammate and Rajasthan Royals pacer Kartik Tyagi, who blew hot and cold, Ravi Bishnoi was largely impressive in his first stint with Kings XI Punjab as he made a smooth transition from the junior level cricket to the big stage of IPL. He played 14 games and took 12 wickets, most importantly, had a decent economy rate of 7.37. The best thing about the 20-year-old was the way he backed himself even when batsmen tried targeting him. More often than not, he didn't buckle under pressure and was up to the task and going forward, he can be a really decent option for India with his temperament.
Ravi Bishnoi couldn't have got a better mentor than Anil Kumble, who was KXIP's coach and more importantly, one of the greatest leg-spinners to have played the game. Bishnoi revealed that Kumble taught him how to never lose your self-belief and keep fighting. He also stated that the practice sessions with Kumble were akin to real-time match situations which helped him prepare for the games well.
“It has been a great learning experience. What I learnt from Kumble sir was that it is important to have self-belief and never give up. During the training sessions, all he told me was to follow the process and not think about the result,” Bishnoi told Sportstar.
“Anil sir told me that I should not doubt myself. He explained that it is important to stay positive and go with a positive mindset. We practiced as if we were playing a match, so all those things actually boosted my confidence and reflected in my performance.”
KXIP crashed out of the IPL 2020 before the playoffs, but the first time captain KL Rahul did a very good job with the youngster as Bishnoi said that he learned how to stay cool and calm from him besides advising him regularly from behind the stumps.
“Match situations are different from training. Our captain KL Rahul was cool and calm and I also tried doing that. It did not matter if I took two wickets or conceded 30 runs, the idea was to stay calm. And that actually helped,” Bishnoi stated.
“Since he was the wicketkeeper, he could see the ball better. So, between the overs, he walked up to me and advised me on how to approach in different situations. So, that was a really good thing.”
MS Dhoni is one of the greatest cricketers to have played for the country. And we saw many youngsters clicking pictures and taking advice from him post games. The wrist-spinner rues the fact that he didn't get much time to talk to MSD, however, he feels it was incredible to meet him.
“After the game against Chennai Super Kings, I walked up to MS Dhoni and took his autograph. We did not get much time to talk about the game, but it was an incredible experience to meet someone like him, in person. I have grown up watching him, so it was a really good feeling to meet him and spend some time… Those were great moments.”
Now that IPL is done and dusted, the youngster is looking forward to the upcoming domestic season.
“I have not set targets. Now, I will prepare for the domestic season. I want to concentrate on my process and ensure that I improve on a few areas,” Bishnoi said.