Indian batter Hanuma Vihari reckons the team management can give two more chances to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and if he doesn’t deliver, they can go back to the youngsters. Kumar is playing for India after a long gap of four years and he hasn’t been able to hit the ground running against New Zealand.
Bhuvneshwar returned with figures of 0-40 in his quota of four overs against the Kiwis in the third T20I. The veteran seamer’s pace was down and he also failed to swing the ball. In the first two games of the series, Kumar had taken a solitary wicket and also proved expensive.
The UP seamer has conceded his runs at an economy rate of 11.58 in the series so far. Vihari said Kumar is not match-fit yet as he is not playing consistently.
“One important discussion is about Bhuvneshwar Kumar. I was eagerly waiting for his performance and thought he would even be considered for the World Cup too. But I think he is not match-fit yet. When you are 36 and not playing many matches, it will take some time to get into the groove and rhythm. The concerning thing is that his pace has come down. The swing is there, which is okay. But from the second over, he starts giving runs in every game. But you can see for two more games. If it does not work after that, you can go back to the youngsters,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Vihari wondered if either lack of the game time or drop in pace could be the factors, which are impacting Kumar’s performances.
He concluded, “I thought he would do better looking at how he bowled in the IPL. But there is a difference in IPL and international cricket. The pace drop also makes a huge difference. Is it the pace drop? Is it the match fitness? I don’t know.”
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday.
