Ravi Bishnoi equals Ravichandran's Ashwin record; emerges as leading wicket-taker of series

Young spinner Ravi Bishnoi emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded T20 series against Australia with nine wickets and equalled ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's record for taking the most wickets for India in a bilateral T20 home series on Sunday.

Hyderabad: India's young spinner Ravi Bishnoi registered his name in the record book after equalling ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's feat of claiming the most wickets for India in a bilateral T20 home series on Sunday.

Ravi Bishnoi finished the T20 series against Australia as the leading wicket-taker with nine wickets. He also won a Man of the Series award for his exceptional performance in the five-match T20 series against Australia.

Bishnot claimed nine wickets with an average of 18.22 at an economy of 8.20 in the series equalling Ashwin's record against Sri Lanka in 2016. Ashwin picked nine wickets in just three matches averaging only 3.88 and conceded runs at an economy of 3.18. The 23-year-old picked up two crucial wickets in the last T20 to guide India to a win at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Bishnoi shared insights into his bowling plan saying, "My plan is simple - bowl stump-to-stump." Quizzed about the upcoming South Africa tour, he said, "(There will be) different wickets, a different challenge, will try to adapt as quickly as I can."

In the fifth and the last T20 clash, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer's 46-run partnership in the back end of the innings propelled India to a score of 160/8. Wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma also played a cameo, contributing 24 off 16 balls. Australia, in the chase, got off to a flier, but a consistent fall of wickets cost them a match in the end. Pacers Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh led the bowling attack, claiming three and two wickets respectively. Ravi Bishnoi took two while Axar took one wicket as India won by six runs in a cliffhanger.