Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reckons Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup. There were doubts regarding Kumar’s selection in the T20I showpiece as he didn’t have the best of Tata IPL 2022 for SunRisers Hyderabad.
However, Kumar has been superb in the four T20Is he has played in the United Kingdom. Kumar took two wickets against Ireland and he has carried the same form against England.
The veteran got the big wicket of England captain Jos Buttler in the first T20I at Ageas Bowl, Southampton. Subsequently, Bhuvneshwar returned with impressive figures of 3-15 in the three overs he bowled in the second T20I against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Kumar again provided the perfect start to his team as he dismissed Jason Roy on the first ball after India posted 170 runs on the board. The medium-pacer then accounted for Jos Buttler and also dismissed Richard Gleeson.
Kumar has got the new ball to swing both ways and he is breathing down the neck of the opposition with his line and length. The bowler from Uttar was awarded the Player of the Match for his impressive show.
Meanwhile, Aakash Chopra reckons Deepak Chahar was ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the pecking order but the former got injured before the IPL.
Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “One man’s loss is another man’s opportunity because Deepak Chahar was ahead in this race. He got injured; Bhuvneshwar got a chance instead of him, and he made the best use of it. I think this debate, at this point, in time is over, if fitness and everything remains fine, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is definitely going for the World Cup.”
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was also chosen as the Player of the Match, is my Player of the Match as well for a simple reason that with the new ball he had dismissed Jos Buttler in the last match; it was an incoming delivery, and here, he dismissed Jason Roy with an outgoing delivery off the first ball.”
The renowned commentator reckons it was a chaseable score but Bhuvneshwar Kumar made it difficult for England in the second innings.
“Then the keeper was standing up, actually a very good catch by Rishabh Pant; it was a good review as well, and there Jos Buttler was also out. 170 runs, I thought, was a chaseable total, and if even one out of Roy or Buttler had fired, the total would have looked very small.”
“But twin strikes in the first couple of overs, well done Bhuvneshwar Kumar. There was a time when we were saying, the World Cup was also cold; the Bhuvneshwar rhythm was not being seen; the zip was missing, the effectiveness was not there, and that has come back.”
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has picked 12 wickets in the last eight matches for Team India and he has been in sublime form.
