Can’t be predictable: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose 4-26 helped India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets on Sunday, believes strategising about the game is as important as being skillful

Jasprit Bumrah often takes most of the accolades, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar has quietly repositioned himself as India’s most incisive new-ball weapon in T20 cricket. 

The master of swing had briefly lost his bite due to a series of injuries that led to a consequent drop in pace, but having found a second wind, the 32-year-old has gotten back to doing what he does best—taking wickets and providing the opening for the others to feast on.

At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening, it took Bhuvneshwar just 10 deliveries to make a spectacular impact, with the wicket of Babar Azam, the Pakistani captain who is also his team’s best batsman. 

Babar rushed into his shot

Interestingly, it wasn’t with a patented away-swinger that Bhuvneshwar did the damage; a well-directed short ball elicited a false stroke from the clearly hurried Babar, who only managed a top-edged pull to Arshdeep Singh at short fine-leg.

“It’s very important for any bowler or any batsman [to be not predictable],” Bhuvneshwar, who finished with four for 26 in India’s five-wicket win, noted. “Nowadays, T20 cricket has become so fast that everyone assumes that the batsman will do this or the bowler will do that. The pitch wasn’t supportive of swing, but there was bounce. That’s what you plan; you know about the batsman from beforehand, what his strength is. And when you have bowled one or two balls, you know even more. I believe thinking about the game is as important as having skills under your belt.”

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‘Being economical is crucial’ 

This four-for was Bhuvneshwar’s second in the last five months. “I am very happy with my performance, not just the wickets,” he insisted. “Yes, when you get wickets, you always feel happy because you are contributing to the team. But sometimes, bowling economically is also a contribution to the team. When you get wickets, you add a little extra. But it’s not just me. The way Hardik [Pandya] bowled, the others bowled, it was a complete bowling performance.”

Since the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year, Bhuvneshwar has taken 27 wickets in 21 internationals at an economy of 6.92 and a spectacular strike rate of 14.6 balls per wicket. 

There is, he insists, nothing he has done differently to offer as an explanation for his wonderful numbers. “Honestly, I haven’t done anything different. I’ve done the same things as before—same practice, same routine. 

“You need a bit of luck and I think luck favoured me. There have been good performances, things have gone my way. Otherwise, it’s been just the same boring routines, that’s the truth.”

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