Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif reckons Bhuvneshwar Kumar looks a tad nervous amid his return to Indian colors. Kumar is playing for India after a long gap of four years and he hasn’t been able to hit the ground running.
Kumar returned with figures of 0-40 in his quota of four overs against the Kiwis in the third T20I. Ashwin noted that 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.
“It is a matter of concern now. His pace has dropped a bit. The bowling has not been as disciplined. A lot of things have happened that we are not used to seeing from him. But I still feel that, in phases, he is doing well. Maybe that nervousness is still there. I still feel we should look at him in the remaining two games. He will be disappointed himself. I would want to see what he does in the last two games,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Kaif highlighted that Indian batters were able to put the New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner under pressure.
“The way India are playing, even the biggest player or captain comes under pressure. I saw Santner. His brain was not working at all in captaincy. He himself came to bowl so late. But when you are getting hit like this, your mind does not work. There was no clarity of thought because of the pressure,” he stated.
On the other hand, the UP batter further praised Indian batting for their dominant display. Kaif also gave credit to head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer for getting the best out of the players.
“I would want to credit the Indian batters a lot. This was not an easy series. But the Indian batters have played really well. They never played this well, even in Ireland or Zimbabwe. They have dominated here. This is a big achievement. The team has passed in this test. New Zealand is a very good team. Gautam Gambhir, as a coach, also deserves credit. Credit to Shreyas, the captain, as well. They have maintained the mindset and remained dominant under a tight schedule,” he said.
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday.
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