GUWAHATI: With India’s spin department already well stocked in limited-overs cricket, opportunities are few and far between. Out of the reckoning for about a year, Ravi Bishnoi was drafted in as Washington Sundar’s replacement for the T20I series against New Zealand.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!His inclusion in the XI — in place of Varun Chakravarthy — for Sunday’s third T20I here surprised many. But Bishnoi, who last played for India in the five-match T20I series against England in Feb 2025, delivered despite admitting to “butterflies” in his comeback game.
“For the opportunity I got today, I was a little nervous. I was also excited because I got the opportunity (after a long time). But at the same time, there was nervousness as well. You get one opportunity and you have to perform in that. So, there was both nervous energy and excitement,” a visibly happy Bishnoi said.The Rajasthan-born legspinner came on as first change bowler in the fifth over and returned impressive figures of 4-0-18-2. He bowled his four overs in four separate spells but his pace and accuracy stood out. He dismissed the dangerous Mark Chapman (32) and Glenn Phillips (48) to choke New Zealand in the middle overs. “I tried my best to bowl in the five-six metres length on the stumps, as it is difficult to hit from those lengths. So, I tried my best to bowl at a good length. If the ball falls at that length at that speed, it is very difficult to hit.
“I bowl according to the rhythm of my body. It’s not that I have to bowl more than 100 kmph or less than 100 kmph every time. I bowl the way I feel on a given day,” explained the former Lucknow Super Giants bowler.Bishnoi did not have a great IPL season in 2025, managing nine wickets in 11 games, and was released by Lucknow. He got a fresh lease of life when Rajasthan Royals bought him at the 2026 auction. “The work I have done in the last one year was on my lengths because I didn’t do so well in the IPL last season. I didn’t have much control over my lengths and my lines in the last season. That’s why it was tough for me,” he said.“Yes, it is difficult when you are away from the side. This Indian team is very strong and there are very few spots available, so limited opportunities. It was good (the time away from the national team) because I had time to work on myself, I did a lot of work on myself,” he added, pointing to his domestic form — nine wickets in seven matches in the 2025–26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. “All those things helped me a lot to make a comeback.”
