IPL 2021: "He is so young, yet his skill set is on another level" - Aiden Markram praises Ravi Bishnoi

Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Aiden Markram lavished praise on young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi following his game-changing spell against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday. Markram expressed amazement at the kind of skills Bishnoi possesses at such a young age.

21-year-old Bishnoi claimed 3 for 24 as PBKS successfully defended a total of 125 in Match 37 of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Sharjah on Saturday. Bishnoi claimed the scalps of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Abdul Samad.

While complimenting Bishnoi, Markram said that the entire bowling line-up of PBKS was up to the task against SRH.

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“Incredible. It is amazing how he (Bishnoi) is still so young and yet his skill set is just on another level. I really think he is just going to go from strength to strength. If you look at the bowling unit as a whole, they were brilliant. (Mohammed) Shami started off with wickets in the powerplay, which is always crucial in defending a low score. And then for the two spinners - (Harpreet) Brar and Bish (Ravi Bishnoi) - to bowl the way they did was amazing," Markram said.

The 26-year-old South African, who is among PBKS’ new recruits for the second half of the season, added that the franchise will take a lot of confidence from the close win against SRH.

“It is not always easy going to a surface where, to an extent, you are expected to do well as spinner or need to do well for your team to win. But for them to deliver the goods, under pressure like it was tonight, in a must-win game, was important for us going forward. We can take a lot of confidence too as a team,” Markram asserted.

Apart from Bishnoi, Shami (2/14) and Arshdeep Singh (1/22) picked up key scalps to keep the pressure on SRH’s batters.

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“Speaks volumes if a guy like Chris is getting bogged down” - Markram on tough batting conditions

Rashid Khan appeals for Chris Gayle's wicket. Pic: IPLT20.COM

In a low-scoring game, Markram top-scored for PBKS with 27. He and Chris Gayle (14) added 30 for the third wicket but the latter did not look in great touch. Responding to a query from Sportskeeda on Gayle’s struggles, Markram pointed out:

“It speaks volumes if a guy like Chris (Gayle) is getting bogged down. It obviously means they are bowling well and that the surface is tough. But it's always nice being at the other end when he is on strike because you know he has got that ability to turn the game on its head. He struck a few beautifully tonight and (those are) encouraging signs going forward.”

On the chat between him and Gayle out in the middle, the Proteas batter revealed that it was about trying to lay a platform for the batters to come.

“We were chatting about finding it quite tough and trying to set it up for the backend of the innings, which we ultimately didn’t do. But just knowing that you have got him, even Nicky P (Nicholas Pooran), explosive batters in your line-up, is a nice thing to have even on tough wickets. They can change the game when they come off. Never panicked too much when they were at the crease because their ability and potential is massive,” Markram concluded.

Markram has had a decent start to his IPL career. He made a crucial 26 not out against Rajasthan Royals (RR) but was forced to watch from the non-striker’s end as the other batters failed to score four runs in the last over.