Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar for staying in the present and not thinking too much about his comeback. Kumar was added to India’s T20I squad for the series against New Zealand last Tuesday.
The veteran seamer bagged 28 wickets in 16 matches of IPL 2026 and had played an instrumental role in taking Royal Challengers Bengaluru to glory. The swing master has performed consistently in the recent past and also scalped 14 wickets in 11 matches while leading Lucknow Falcons in UP T20 League 2026.
Ashwin said Kumar was rewarded for his good work in the IPL for RCB by the selectors.
Ashwin said on Vimal Kumar YouTube Channel, “I don’t think Bhuvneshwar Kumar even thought or planned for a comeback. His success mantra is that he has gone on his own journey. He stayed in the moment and was only focused on doing well for RCB, which is what he did. The reward he has got now with the return to the side is the fruit of his success. But he never went searching for the fruit. He just did his job, and now he has got the success.”
On the other hand, the former CSK star said it would be interesting to note how Abhishek Sharma will adapt to difficult conditions on the New Zealand tour.
“Abhishek is an exceptionally skilled batter. His game is tailor-made for T20s on pitches where the ball comes on to the bat nicely. I would love to see how he adapts on challenging pitches. The adaptation he showed recently in Japan was good to see,” said Ashwin (via the aforementioned source).
Ashwin said Sooryavanshi will need to wait for his chances, just like Sanju Samson had to wait before getting a consistent run.
He concluded, “Sooryavanshi is a prodigy and an entertainer with god-given gifts. Cricket is also deep-rooted in him, so he understands cricket very well. We know Vaibhav will have a great career. But until then, he should enjoy himself as Sanju and Abhishek open. Sanju has had to wait for a long time to get chances consistently. He was hardly getting any opportunities. However, when it rains, it pours. So what he didn’t get for years, he got in one T20 World Cup altogether.”
India is currently leading the West Indies by 2-1.
