IPL 13: Bishnoi has shown confidence, composure in last two games, says Anil Kumble
Sep 25, 2020
Dubai [UAE], September 25 : Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) head coach Anil Kumble said young spinner Ravi Bishnoi has impressed him with his skills as he played the last two games with "confidence" and a "calm mind".
Bishnoi bagged three wickets in an emphatic 97-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday. India U-19 World Cup player returned with the figures of 3-32 in his four overs.
"Ravi Bishnoi has shown over the last couple of matches, the kind of control he has, the confidence he has, the composure that he has as a 19-year-old is great," Kumble said in a video posted by KXIP on its official Twitter handle.
Apart from Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin too bagged three wickets while Sheldon Cottrell picked two wickets.
"And Ashwin was brilliant too, and it was nice to win the match. We were disappointed with the last game having come that close but this victory has given us more confidence," the head coach said.
After the match, Bishnoi said Kumble taught him to always back his skills with a calm approach.
"Anil sir taught me to back my skills and strength with a cool and calm mind. We prepared well in our camp before the tournament here. We were focusing on mental strength and not bowling lose balls," Bishnoi had said in a post-match conference.
Skipper KL Rahul scored 132* off 69 balls studded with seven sixes and 14 fours. He also achieved the highest individual score by an Indian player in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) history.
He also broke Sachin Tendulkar's record, becoming the fastest Indian to score 2,000 IPL runs.
Kumble said his innings was 'fantastic' as he made batting look so easy on the difficult wicket. His knock guided the side to post 206/3.
"It's wonderful, I think it's really great of Rahul. Fantastic innings that set up the tone of the game. It looked as if he was batting on a different pitch because it was not that easy to score runs off, but he made it look so easy," Kumble said.
"Once you get 200 plus, Cottrell getting us two early wickets. I think the bowlers bowled fantastically. Two leggies picking up wickets is very special," he added.
KXIP will next play against Rajasthan Royals at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on September 27.
