The fact that Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India’s most seasoned fast bowler, keeps going for runs in the final overs surprises former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar quite a little. It is a major issue for the Indian team going into the T20 World Cup, according to Gavaskar.
India’s ambitions for the T20 World Cup are being disrupted by seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s lackluster performances.
Few anticipated that Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India’s lone “T20 specialist” bowler, would become one of India’s biggest concerns with just one month until their 2022 T20 World Cup opener against the same opponents. Bhuvneshwar Kumar played a crucial role in India’s thrilling 5-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dubai on August 28.
Bhuvneshwar has been thoroughly outplayed in three of India’s final four games, all in the penultimate over. Everything he has attempted to bowl, including yorkers, massive yorkers, slower balls, knuckle balls, and bouncers, has fallen flat because he has become cannon fodder for batsmen waiting to pounce on his enjoyable medium speed.
Pakistan needed 26 off 2 overs in the Super 4 match of the Asia Cup, but the 32-year-old gave up 19 in the twentieth over, leaving them with 0-40 off 4 overs. Sri Lanka needed 21 off just two overs in India’s next Super 4 match of the Asia Cup when Bhuveshwar was dismissed for 14 in the nineteenth over.
This time, the experienced batsman took 0-30 in 4 overs. In both games, Arshdeep Singh was unfairly forced to defend just seven points in the final over, despite his gallant efforts.
Australia needed 55 off 4 overs in the first T20I against India at Mohali on Tuesday night when Bhuvi was called. Mathew Wade had a “social gathering” at his cost this time, shaving off 15 from his 17th over and 16 from his 19th over. Bhuvneshwar’s statistics were dismal: 4-0-52-0; this was the first time he had given up more than 50 runs in a T20I.
Naturally, batting veteran Sunil Gavaskar cited Team India’s “area of concern” in Bhuvneshwar’s poor performance. “We didn’t bowl as well. It’s a legitimate worry. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has given away 49 runs in 18 deliveries in three losses for India against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia, or about three runs per delivery, according to Gavaskar.