Bhuvneshwar Kumar on World Cup 2019: I will thrive in England

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Ace seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels India have all bases covered as far as the bowling attack is concerned for the World Cup. "We have a very good bowling line-up. Whatever the conditions, we have experienced bowlers to do the job for the team," Bhuvneshwar said.

"We have Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and myself, supported by Hardik Pandya. Then, we have two wrist spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, backed by Ravindra Jadeja. So, whatever the conditions in England, we have the wherewithal to deal with situations," Bhuvneshwar said.

"It will be a horses-for-courses policy as far as bowling is concerned. It will be influenced by the prevailing conditions, the nature of the pitches and the size of the grounds. That is possible only because the team management has a balanced attack," he said.

When asked whether he will be effective if the conditions are not conducive to seam bowling, he said: "As of now, it is difficult to predict what type of weather conditions or pitches we will have. But we have to adapt to the conditions accordingly. Yes, we have heard that it is going to be warm and the pitches flat, so we have to take these aspects into consideration and bowl accordingly. Even in the last World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, we did very well as a bowling unit. We adapted to conditions and that experience will keep us in good stead in England," he added.

Bhuvneshwar was the fourth pace bowling option during the 2015 World Cup and played only a couple of games when Shami was injured. How does he see his role this time? "Four years have passed since the last World Cup and in that period, I have gained a lot of experience and ironed out a lot of deficiencies. I have added new variations to my repertoire. At that time, I had fitness issues too. Now, I have improved my fitness and have also added a bit of speed. But my forte remains swing bowling and I am confident that I will be able to thrive in England, whatever the conditions," he said.

Has his confidence taken a beating due to a below-par IPL? "No, I don't think I was below par. I had 13 wickets in 15 games, which is quite good. I was bowling with my usual rhythm. The effort in the IPL is bound to help us remain on top of our game. The 15-day rest after the IPL will freshen us for the World Cup," he said.

On playing under an aggressive captain like Virat Kohli, he said: "It is indeed great to play under Virat. Everyone knows he is the top batsman in the world. He reads the minds of rival batsmen well and advises us accordingly. He is aggressive and on the ball all the time. It is really a privilege to be playing under him as he always backs his bowlers. I am confident that with Virat at the helm, India will go all the way in this World Cup."

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