Leg-Spinner Ravi Bishnoi moves to Gujarat from Rajasthan ahead of 2023/24 domestic cricket season

New Delhi: India leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has decided to move on from Rajasthan and join the Gujarat team ahead of the upcoming 2023/24 season of Indian domestic cricket.

On Monday, Bishnoi posted a story on his Instagram account, wearing the Gujarat practice jersey with the association logo and captioned the post with ‘new beginning’.

Pradyot Singh Rathore, Bishnoi’s coach alongside Shahrukh Pathan at the Spartans Cricket Academy in his hometown Jodhpur, said to IANS, “Yes I know, he will be playing for them (Gujarat) now.”

Attempts to reach out to Bishnoi and the Rajasthan Cricket Association didn’t elicit any response. But Anil Patel, the Secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), confirmed to IANS that Bishnoi will be eligible to turn out for the state before the start of the upcoming domestic season.

“He is willing to play for Gujarat and we have accepted his request. He has already given me the NOC (No Objection Certification) from Rajasthan and we are going to proceed with it to the BCCI (for completing the formalities).”

Bishnoi has featured in 10 T20Is for India since his debut in February 2022, picking 16 wickets at an economy rate of 7.08. He also has one scalp from a solitary ODI appearance against South Africa at Lucknow last year.

The Jodhpur-based leg-spinner claimed 16 wickets for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023, as the side reached the playoffs for second straight time before crashing out of the competition by losing to Mumbai Indians in the eliminator in Chennai.

Bishnoi first shot into limelight by being a part of the India U19 team becoming runners-up in 2020 Men’s Cricket World Cup, after losing to Bangladesh in the final. Bishnoi had finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps.

Though Bishnoi has made regular appearances for Rajasthan in white-ball games in domestic matches, he played just one first-class match for the side in last season’s Ranji Trophy.

For the upcoming men’s domestic season, Gujarat will be coached by former India spinner Ramesh Powar, who was also the head coach of the national women’s team till last year.

(IANS)