India’s emphatic eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20I was set up by a disciplined bowling effort, with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi crediting his focus on bowling in the right areas and working on his lengths after a difficult Indian Premier League season last year.

Bishnoi returned figures of 2/18 in four overs, playing a key role in restricting New Zealand to 153/9 in their 20 overs in Guwahati. His spell laid the foundation for India’s dominant chase.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Bishnoi said he used the time away from the national T20I side to work extensively on his bowling with coaches in Jodhpur. He added that regular matches in domestic tournaments helped him regain rhythm and confidence, ANI reported.

“It’s always difficult when you are away from the side. You feel like you should be there, but you aren’t. I had time to work on my own bowling. I worked a lot with my coaches at home in Jodhpur. Then I played domestic matches again. I played a few matches in the Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq and Ranji Trophy tournaments. All those things helped me a lot to come back,” Bishnoi said, according to ANI.

The 24-year-old said he consciously tried to bowl in the right areas and adapt his rhythm to match conditions. He acknowledged that his previous IPL season did not go as planned, prompting him to reassess his approach.

“I was trying to bowl in the right areas. It depends on my rhythm on the given day. I have worked on my lengths. I didn’t have a good IPL last season. I was a bit nervous and excited,” he added.

Bishnoi also praised Abhishek Sharma for his aggressive batting at the top of the order. “The way Abhishek is batting, India needs this. He practices a lot. Hope he continues this form for a long time,” he said, as quoted by ANI.

Sharma smashed an unbeaten 68 off just 20 balls, hitting seven fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 340. His knock, combined with Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 57 off 26 deliveries, powered India to chase down the 154-run target in just 10 overs.
With the win, India completed a clean sweep in the five-match T20I series, winning all three T20Is.

Brief score: New Zealand 153/9 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 48, Mark Chapman 32; Jasprit Bumrah 3/17) vs India 155/2 in 10 overs (Abhishek Sharma 68*, Suryakumar Yadav 57*).