Former Australian head coach John Buchanan believes Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be a dangerous bowler as he can get the ball to swing in the PowerPlay overs. Kumar has got all the experience under his belt and he will look to deliver the goods for the team.
Bhuvneshwar made a fine start to the tournament as he bowled a tight opening spell against the Pakistan openers. The swing bowler took one wicket and conceded only 22 runs in his quota of four overs against the arch-rivals.
But, Kumar was expensive in the Asia Cup at the fag end of the innings and his form coming into the T20 World Cup was a concern. However, the 32-year-old from Meerut was right on the money in the team’s first match of the tournament.
Buchanan feels Kumar has the experience to deliver the goods and he will get assistance on the Australian pitches.
“Yeah, look it’s always a hard one. The Indian attack is probably in relation to its batting group certainly not as strong. But I think Bhuvneshwar Kumar could surprise a little bit because in Australia he should be able to get the ball to swing, in those first couple of hours, which may mean he’s a dangerous option and may pick up a or two. The other bowlers are still relatively inexperienced in Australian conditions so that can be a good thing. Sometimes you’re not afraid of what’s in front of you, you just go out and play,” Buchanan told News18 CricketNext at the sidelines of Legends League Cricket.
However, Buchanan feels India lacks variety in its spin attack. India had backed Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel and had benched Yuzvendra Chahal against Pakistan.
“And, the spin attack Ashwin, Axar Patel and Chahal that’s where I’ve got a question mark on Indian bowling I’d just like to see a little bit more variety in there if they could have found. A good wrist spinner, I’m not saying Chahal is not, but somebody a bit more like Adil Rashid from England, that provides a little bit of difference into that attack,” Buchanan added.
Australian pitches are known for their extra pace and bounce but Buchanan reckons that it will be a high-scoring tournament and the batters will have a key role to play.
“I think the key is no matter whether you got pace, variation, spin, or just a lot of spin. It’s just your ability to meet that moment at the time. Because in Australian conditions batsman in the main will always be on top. So in the main, it will be generally high-scoring games. So from a bowling perspective, the best you can do is make sure that you land the ball where you all the time. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get success, but it’s those pilots who can do that under Australian conditions,” he said.
