Ravi Bishnoi’s elevation to the Indian team can literally be termed as ‘ground-breaking’. Hailing from Jodhpur in western Rajasthan, primarily a desert region, pursuing cricket professionally is an achievement in itself. And Bishnoi went far beyond that on Wednesday when he was picked in the Indian T20I team for the series against West Indies next month.

Due to poor cricketing infrastructure in Jodhpur, budding cricketers were forced to travel to cities like Bikaner, Jaipur or Udaipur to hone their skills. But Bishnoi did not have to do that thanks to former Rajasthan players, Shahrukh Pathan and Prabhjot Singh, who later became his coaches. The opening up of their cricket academy, which was inaugurated by former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar in 2016, paved the way for Bishnoi.