EXCLUSIVE
He is currently one of the most respected voices in world cricket. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he is one of the best commentators in the world at the moment. When Ian Bishop sets up an India-Pakistan contest for you, it is a very special conversation. Here is Bishop, candid and no holds barred, on India versus Pakistan, Virat Kohli the batter, Rohit Sharma the leader, what ails India in ICC tournaments, and much more.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Boria: You have watched a lot of India-Pakistan contests and commentated on a lot of them as well. How do you set up the Asia Cup and World Cup for me? India versus Pakistan after a while, first in the Asia Cup and then in the World Cup? India versus Pakistan is always special.
Ian Bishop: Absolutely. It is a fantastic contest. And if you see the last time the two teams faced each other in Australia in the T20 World Cup, it lived up to the billing. Fans want to see such contests, and the fact that the two teams don’t play each other often has built a certain novelty around this encounter. That’s what explains the hype around it. India-Pakistan contests are very good for the sport in general.
Boria: Perhaps the two men who will be most talked about in India when it comes to India-Pakistan are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Your thoughts first on Virat Kohli?
Ian Bishop: He is a man for the big stage, and has a sense of the occasion as we all know. He was one of the people who stood up for India in Australia, and will want to score a lot of runs in India in home conditions. And I hope he will do that because, like I said, he is a master of the occasion and a fantastic player in white-ball cricket, especially the 50-over format.
Boria: Rohit Sharma – not just as batter, but also as leader. India will want him to lead them to an ICC trophy after a decade.
Ian Bishop: Rohit Sharma is a great batter. He has always been a great batter in the white-ball formats, especially the 50-over format, and now he is doing it in red-ball cricket as well. But as leader, he will know that India with all its resources, cricketing resources and economic resources, will need him to win an ICC trophy for the first time since the Champions Trophy win in England in 2013. In fact, I will say that the next few months will define his legacy as leader. If Rohit Sharma can utilise his resources well and go on to win India the World Cup, that’s what will define his leadership.
Boria: That’s the point. It is not as if India hasn’t done well. Two WTC finals are proof. But then, in the big finals, India have been underwhelming.
Ian Bishop: When you mention the WTC finals, you need to think if you had the best people available for these occasions. Also, with the WTC final in England in June, was the Indian team the best prepared? When India played New Zealand, they were already in the country and better prepared. New Zealand was playing a Test series in England, if you remember. Australia was there in England for longer this time round, and was better prepared. If you have the WTC in the UK where you need to better acclimatise, you will need more time to prepare better and give yourselves the best chance.
When it comes to the white-ball formats, I think India needs a bit of tweaking. They need more dynamism, more aggressive leadership. Also, the absence of Jasprit Bumrah for such a long period of time has hurt India a lot. I hope for India that Bumrah is fit and firing when this sort of a championship comes round again. For any team that has to win a championship like this, it has to have depth in fast bowling. At least, I think so. Without Bumrah, it was an issue for India.
“He’s a man with a sense of occasion” Ian Bishop believes that #ViratKohli will excel in the #ICCWorldCup2023.
How does it feel to witness the #INDvPAK clash from the commentary box? @irbishi shares his perspective .@AgeasFederal @Pebble_India @Wowmomo4u #WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/aY9ZR7QUlu
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) August 21, 2023
Boria: A lot of these Indian players – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja – have had the experience of playing in world events. And here they will be playing in home conditions. How much do you think experience helps?
Ian Bishop: It helps. It actually does. I can tell you when I played in front of home fans at the Queens Park Oval and they were screaming for me to pick wickets and you weren’t being able to, you wanted the ground to open up and just disappear. But when you have the experience, you know that you can have one bad session but you have the opportunity of coming back. That’s what experience does for you. It helps you a lot on the big stage.
Boria: When I think of India-Pakistan, it is also about these mini-battles. Individual contests that spice up things. Shaheen Afirdi versus Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli versus Babar Azam. How do you look at these individual contests?
Ian Bishop: I am actually looking forward to these. With my time running out, I will tell you Shaheen Afridi is one I absolutely love watching, and I’m waiting to see him bowl against India. More than anyone, I am waiting to see Jasprit Bumrah back and in full flow for India. Again I am telling you this, any team which has to win an ICC tournament has to have a great repertoire of fast bowlers. As a former fast bowler myself, I can say the world cannot survive without fast bowlers.
Boria: Last question before I let you go. Are you telling me that you feel India has a very real chance of winning this competition at home? That’s what you are saying?
Ian Bishop: I am. Absolutely I am. I am saying knowledge of the conditions gives you a significant advantage. I am not guaranteeing anything, but I am indeed saying that such knowledge is an advantage. While you still have to do the leg work, knowing the conditions will give India an edge going into the World Cup.
Boria: Thanks for joining me, and setting it all up!
Ian Bishop: And thanks for selecting me for the World Cup! I appreciate it as well (laughs).