New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes Ravi Bishnoi’s costly 17th over proved to be the turning point in India’s defeat to England in the second T20I in Manchester, while also backing the team’s bowling decisions and hailing 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking international debut.

Reflecting on the match, Parthiv said the two no-balls bowled by Bishnoi shifted momentum decisively in England’s favour by allowing Jacob Bethell to play with complete freedom. He pointed to the dramatic change in Bethell’s approach after the over, explaining that the free hits removed the pressure that had built during the left-hander’s slow start.

“Batters take one delivery to get out, and bowlers have five more deliveries to come back after a six. So, you look at that 17th over from Ravi Bishnoi and the transformation in Jacob Bethell’s innings, the switch in his batting intent happened because of the freedom he got from the no-ball, to go after the ball without worrying about losing your wicket,” Parthiv told JioStar.

He noted that Bethell had struggled to accelerate before the momentum swung. “Before that over, Bethell was struggling at 37 off 33 balls. He was finding it hard to accelerate. But those two no-balls changed everything. They released the pressure and gave him the license to attack.”

While acknowledging that conceding boundaries is part of T20 cricket, Parthiv said the no-balls made the task considerably easier for the batter. “This is something Ravi Bishnoi will want to work on. Getting hit for runs is part of the game. But when a no-ball gives the batter a free hit, it becomes easier to play without accountability because you don’t get out; you only get the runs. That over turned the match in England’s favour,” he added.

Questions were also raised over India’s decision not to use all-rounder Shivam Dube with the ball, but Parthiv felt stand-in captain Shreyas Iyer managed his resources sensibly. “The situation of the game matters. You try to use your sixth bowler, Shivam Dube, to get through a couple of overs. But when the game demands wickets, that is when you go back to your main bowlers,” Parthiv stated.

Backing Iyer’s tactical calls, Parthiv said the issue lay more with the team combination than the on-field execution. “I thought Shreyas Iyer rotated his bowlers well. Yes, the execution wasn’t perfect, but the bowling choices were fine, according to me, for this game. However, the combination is something India will need to think about,” he said.

He also suggested India could consider strengthening their pace attack for the remaining matches of the series, saying, “I thought 190 was a par score on this pitch. But when you are playing in England, with bigger boundaries, the slower deliveries and bouncers come into play. So maybe an extra seamer could help India in the next game.”

–IANS

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