During a tense match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were left questioning the decision to not give Ravi Bishnoi another over in the death overs, a decision that ultimately backfired. This moment became known as Bishnoi’s Bold Stand. With CSK needing 56 runs off the final 30 balls, LSG’s captain Rishabh Pant had a choice to make, and he decided to turn to his pacers. This call was scrutinized, as Bishnoi, who had bowled an excellent spell earlier, still had one over left, which Pant chose not to use.
Bishnoi’s Bold Stand: Bishnoi Defends Pant’s Decision, Despite Backlash
At the second strategic timeout, the game was delicately poised. MS Dhoni was at the crease, and though he hadn’t been striking the ball well against spin, he had been a force against pace. Up until that point in the season, Dhoni had faced 34 deliveries of spin, scoring just 34 runs, with 15 dot balls. However, against pace, he had made 70 off 37 balls, showing his preference for fast bowlers, but Bishnoi’s Bold Stand brought a change in dynamics, challenging Dhoni’s rhythm.
With Bishnoi’s spell being effective, particularly against Shivam Dube—who was struggling with just 17 runs off 20 balls—it seemed like a good time to let the spinner bowl again. Bishnoi had bowled two deliveries to Dube in the earlier phase, both full and outside the hitting arc, which only resulted in a single run. At that point, it appeared that continuing with Bishnoi could have been a safer bet, especially since Dhoni was having trouble with spin.
Pant, however, opted for pace and turned to Avesh Khan and Shardul Thakur to bowl the death overs. This decision led to heavy punishment, as the pacers were taken apart in the 16th, 17th, and 19th overs, dramatically tilting the game in CSK’s favor. Dhoni, who had been relatively quiet, found his rhythm against pace, taking 96 runs off 48 balls in the final stages.
After the match, Pant reflected on his decision. “There was a time when I thought about him bowling that over [his fourth]. We discussed it with a lot of players and just couldn’t let him bowl. We thought we were going to take it deeper, and that just didn’t happen for us today,” he said. The decision stemmed from a fear that a spinner could be hit for boundaries, potentially losing them the match, but in hindsight, it was a risk that didn’t pay off.
Bishnoi’s Bold Stand, however, was supportive of Pant’s choices, expressing confidence in the captain’s decisions. ‘I came to the wicket twice, but maybe he had some plans in mind. He probably wanted to execute something else… according to me, a captain can see better and from behind the stumps, he can understand the situation better. So according to me, he took the decision that felt better to him,’ Bishnoi said in his post-match comments.
He continued, “No, nothing like that [talk about the fourth over]. It was clear in his mind [what he had to do]. In a tense situation, it is better for a captain to think from his point of view so he took what was the better decision. This was part of Bishnoi’s Bold Stand.”
(While the loss was tough for LSG, Bishnoi’s Bold Stand highlighted the trust in Pant’s leadership. It also underlined the unpredictability of match situations where decisions, no matter how well thought out, can sometimes not yield the desired result. Ultimately, despite Bishnoi’s Bold Stand and the team’s strong efforts, CSK’s death-over brilliance, especially Dhoni’s striking against the pacers, secured them a memorable victory.)
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