Former Indian batter Suresh Raina has backed Bhuvneshwar Kumar to deliver the goods for the team. Kumar was expensive in the 19th over he had bowled against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup.
Furthermore, he was once again taken for runs in the first T20I against Australia at Mohali. Thus, the fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh is not high on confidence while going into the T20 World Cup.
However, Bhuvneshwar has all the experience under his belt and he is going to hold the key for the Indian team at the T20I showpiece. Raina feels Bhuvnehwar has all the arrows in his quiver and he certainly can deliver on the big stage.
Raina said while talking to IANS, “Bhuvi is an experienced bowler. He has done really well. Sometimes you go for runs, but he still has that swing. He is still the go-to guy for the skipper because he always delivers when it mattered the most. When Virat scored a hundred, he also took five wickets against Afghanistan and bowled really well. He has that knuckleball, swing and he hits areas well.”
On the other hand, India had earlier suffered two blows as Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah have been ruled out due to their respective injuries. Axar Patel and Mohammed Shami have been added to the squad and they will look to deliver for the team.
Raina said, “Though they have got injured, we still have got their replacements. I know you can’t replace them because, at the end of the day, you need to only think about the controllable things. Definitely, Shami comes in now and Axar Patel is also doing well. You need to have the right combination and which player you want to go with.”
Meanwhile, India has a potent batting line up and their top order is in good form. Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav will look to be at their best for the team. Raina feels Hardik Pandya will also play a key role for the team as an all-rounder.
Raina said, “We have Suryakumar Yadav, then Rohit Sharma is a very good leader, Virat is in very, very good form now and Hardik Pandya will be the key member of the Indian team. He will bowl a couple of good overs in power-play, then he has to bat really well.”
India begins their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on 23rd October.
