Why Ravi Bishnoi is Not Playing Today in IND vs NZ 5th T20I?

The Indian cricket team is playing its last T20I match ahead of the much-awaited T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to take place from February 7 to March 8. The Men in Blue will be aiming to find their best combination in the IND vs NZ 5th T20I, taking place in Thiruvananthapuram.

As India have already sealed the series, skipper Suryakumar Yadav decided to make three changes in the team. However, one of the surprising changes was benching their star leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi.

Why Ravi Bishnoi is Not Playing Today?

Bishnoi has produced excellent results with the ball in the matches that he has played so far this series. However, he has been rested for the final match of the series between India and New Zealand. Bishnoi was brought into the squad after the all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out of the series due to an injury.

The legspinner is not in India’s T20 World Cup squad. As a result, Varun Chakaravarthy, who is in the squad, has been named Ravi Bishnoi replacement for this game. Chakaravarthy missed the third and fourth match; however, the star bowler will be in action, which is a good news for India.

Bishnoi's selection for this series was a surprise as he hadn't played for India for some time now. Despite being the No. 1 ranked T20 bowler at some point in his career, he isn't a regular in the team.

Is Varun Chakaravarthy India's Trump Card for T20 WC?

It was quite a surprising move by the Indian team management to bench Chakaravarthy for the third and fourth T20Is, as the star spinner is currently the one of the best T20 bowlers in the world.

Varun doesn't have a lot of experience in international cricket, as the spinner has played only 35 T20I matches so far in his career. However, he has been exceptional so far, having picked up 58 wickets at an average of 15.34 and an impressive economy rate of 7.09. The Tamil Nadu bowler also has two five-wicket hauls to his name in T20Is against England and South Africa respectively.

Despite playing only two matches in the ongoing series before today's match, Varun has managed to take three wickets, which is a great sign for the Indian team as their star spinner is in great form, that too ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.