Former India Test captain and veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane has called upon fans to keep their faith in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has endured a tough return to international cricket in the IND vs NZ T20I series.
India have clinched the five-match India vs New Zealand T20I series by taking an unmatchable 3-0 lead with wins in the first three matches. However, the bowling attack remains a worry, as it was in the home series against West Indies.
Shreyas Iyer was lucky to win all three tosses and elected to bowl first. The Indian bowlers conceded 225, 180, and 198, which the batters managed to chase down.
In the buildup to this series, Bhuvneshwar was touted to play an important role for India; New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner even opined: “Bhuvi will love these conditions in New Zealand. If there’s anything in the wicket, he’ll find something out of it.”
But Bhuvneshwar, who made his comeback to the India T20I team after four years, hasn’t managed to extract whatever little help there has been from the conditions and pitches in the series hitherto.
Bhuvneshwar has registered figures of 0/49, 1/50, and 0/40 while completing his quota of four overs in each of the three IND vs NZ T20Is. He’s conceded 139 runs in the series so far and picked up only one wicket.
Don’t judge Bhuvneshwar Kumar or overthink how he has bowled: Ajinkya Rahane
Amid Bhuvneshwar’s struggles on his comeback to international cricket, Rahane has put his weight behind the bowler, opining that the 36-year-old is an experienced campaigner and might only be struggling for rhythm. Rahane reckons Bhuvneshwar would be the first to realise his shortcomings on his international return.
“I don’t think we should judge him or overthink how he has bowled. He is an experienced player and would certainly reflect on where he fell short and what he could have done better. As far as his performances are concerned, ups and downs are part of the game,” Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
“Sometimes, as a bowler, you may not find your rhythm, but that is no reason to write him off. Bhuvneshwar would certainly know what he could have done better.”
Rahane heaped praise on Bhuvneshwar for making a comeback to the Indian cricket team at the age of 36 on the back of two outstanding IPL seasons for RCB, where he helped RCB win consecutive trophies.
“For me, the biggest story is that he has made a comeback at this age. We should learn from this that, as a bowler, you must never give up. Keep doing your job, and things will eventually fall into place. You never know; he could take five wickets in the next match, and things could change immediately. Bhuvneshwar is a bowler who certainly reflects on his game, but he is also confident in his abilities and is a confident person overall,” Rahane asserted.
India vs New Zealand: When and where is the 4th T20I?
The India vs New Zealand 4th T20I will be played on Friday, October 30, in Auckland from 12:30 PM IST.
India may have to tinker with the winning side if Ishan Kishan is declared fit. In that case, it would be interesting to see whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets dropped or someone else faces the cruel axe. Plus, one or two of Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mayank Yadav might get a chance in the 4th T20I.
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