Former Indian middle-order batter Hanuma Vihari has opened up on his changes to Team India’s playing XI ahead of the third T20I of the five-game series, which is scheduled to be played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
Speaking exclusively on his YouTube channel, Vihari has asserted that Prince Yadav should be utilized in English conditions, with Ravi Bishnoi being benched. Notably, Bishnoi had a horrific spell against England in the second T20I as India suffered a four-wicket defeat.
“I think Prince Yadav is your main bowler in such conditions. He should play in place of Ravi Bishnoi, that is my opinion. I don’t know if it is a rotation policy and whether Sanju Samson has been informed by the management about it. Will they give Ishan Kishan a break in the next match? If so, we have to wait and watch,” Hanuma Vihari said on his YouTube channel.
Furthermore, the former middle-order batter has also reckoned that India should go ahead with two spinners and an extra fast bowler in Prince Yadav, adding that pacers can be effective with long boundaries in English conditions.
“Ravi Bishnoi has changed his action, changed his run-up. If you look at the backfoot no-ball, it is because of the diagonal run-up. I feel three spinners is not the way to go going forward. Two spinners, plus an extra fast bowler in Prince Yadav can be played. Fast bowlers can also be effective with long boundaries and in these conditions,” he added.
“Bishnoi is a leg-spinner but he has been used more like an off-spinner by Shreyas Iyer. It has been a disappointing start for him as a captain. It is almost the same team that became the world champion. I think we are losing to Ireland and England because of the conditions. The boundaries are also long and in India we are not used to it,” he concluded.
Bishnoi bowled three back-foot no-balls in the second T20I against England, emerging as the first bowler from an ICC full-member nation to do so in a T20I game. Bishnoi’s costly over was in the 17th when he conceded 29 runs as momentum shifted towards England.
