Why Bhuvneshwar Kumar 'did not chase' his India comeback
What's the story
After the 3rd T20I against New Zealand, star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar credited his Indian Premier League (IPL) performances that paved the way for his successful return to Team India. The seamer, who was sidelined since November 2022, returned to the setup for the New Zealand T20I series. After India's victory in Wellington, Bhuvneshwar said he "did not chase" an India comeback but was proud of it.
Return journey
No grand plan for return
In the post-match press conference, Bhuvneshwar said he didn't have a grand plan for his return to the Indian team.
He added, "For four years, whatever was coming in front of me - tournaments, challenges, whatever - about cricket, about fitness, whatever else, I kept doing it."
The 36-year-old also acknowledged the role IPL played in his return. He credited his last two seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for paving the way back into contention.
IPL impact
Two-year IPL helped Bhuvneshwar
Bhuvneshwar said, "Luckily, the performance happened. I think all the credit goes to the two-year IPL."
The right-arm seamer took 17 and 28 wickets for RCB in the last two seasons, respectively.
However, his return to international cricket hasn't been as smooth as expected.
In three matches against the Kiwis, he has taken just one wicket at an economy rate of 11.58 and an average of 139.00.
Performance analysis
Morkel sympathizes with Bhuvneshwar
Bhuvneshwar's performance has been underwhelming so far, with figures of 49/0 in the first T20I, 1/50 in the second, and 0/40 in the third.
However, India bowling coach Morne Morkel sympathized with him, saying he had to come into international cricket with limited training due to schedule constraints.
Despite his struggles, Bhuvneshwar remains optimistic about his return journey and understands T20 cricket's challenges.