Shikha Pandey heaps praise on Ian Bishop's commitment to commentary: 'Cheerleader who knows no bounds'

Shikha Pandey heaps praise on Ian Bishop’s commitment to commentary: ‘Cheerleader who knows no bounds’

India women’s cricket team fas bowler Shikha Pandey was all praise for former West Indies cricketer turned commentator Ian Bishop for his commitment to recognise young cricketers for their achievements. Shikha Pandey’s comments even as Ian Bishop was on-air, giving the viewers insights about India and Australia players during the U19 World Cup 2024 final in South Africa on Sunday, February 11.

During the intense semi-final clash of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup between Australia and Pakistan, Bishop, who was on air, lauded 15-year-old Pakistani pacer Ali Raza for his impressive 4-wicket-haul that caused considerable trouble to the Australian batters. Bishop dubbed Raza a ‘superstar,’ acknowledging his outstanding performance, despite Pakistan’s narrow loss to Australia.

However, Bishop’s admiration for Raza stirred controversy when a Pakistani journalist criticised him for potentially ‘overhyping’ young players. In reply, Bishop penned his commitment to keep on praising youngsters, as he considers recognition as a crucial requirement for the betterment of their careers.

“Yes Ian Bishop makes every 2nd player a superstar yaad hai na “Remember the name” Braithwaite kaha hain ab. Don’t start making future stars of every other player hold your horses,” The comments said

The 56-year-old drew reference from his playing days when he felt the pressure of playing against other greats in the West Indies squad and how recognition helped in his betterment.

“I was an ambitionless, drifting teenager when I first played senior cricket with Phil Simmons, against Marshall, Garner & later, Holding. I heard they’d said nice things about my game. That inspired me to believe in myself. I’ll never stop passing that on to others,” Ian Bishop wrote in his tweet.

This moment garnered a lot of praise for the Bishop from around the cricket fraternity and one of those was from the experienced Shikha Pandey. The 34-year-old went to the extent of wishing for more minds in the game with the same thoughts as those of Bishop

“My wish and hope for every kid growing up wanting to take up cricket or any other sport would be to have a personal cheerleader/ well-wisher like Ian Bishop. His positive outlook on every single cricketer he commentates over knows no bounds,” Shikha Pandey wrote in her tweet.

Bishop’s time as a commentator has seen him giving a voice to numerous memorable moments in the game. Furthermore, his dedication to enhancing youngsters in the game underscores his exemplary diligence in his role.

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