In white-ball cricket, Ashish Nehra believes it is important to include Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the plans for Team India. Nehra feels that Kumar’s presence is valuable and should be maintained.
The Indian teams for the multi-format trip of South Africa were recently selected by the selectors. Even though the most of the front-line seamers were rested for the limited-overs portion of the tour, Bhuvneshwar has been disregarded in all three forms.
During a JioCinema conversation, Nehra was questioned about his opinions on the squads selected for the South Africa tour, to which he replied:
“I am not at all surprised that the selectors have picked three different teams. Pretty much everyone’s name has come. There might be hardly any player who is there or thereabouts whose name is not there.”
“Only one name comes to my mind, because you are going to South Africa, and you have picked a lot of fast bowlers, and that name is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. I understand that you have other new-ball options, you have Arshdeep Singh, and Mukesh Kumar is playing.”
Ashish Nehra
Bhuvneshwar Kumar ranks second in India’s T20I cricket, earning 90 wickets. Only Yuzvendra Chahal, with 96 wickets, advances him. Although, Chahal didn’t get chosen for the T20I team, but he made it into the ODIs.
“They shouldn’t forget him totally” – Ashish Nehra on Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Experience and performance are important,” Ashish Nehra explained. “A bowler with both, like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, needs to be remembered,” he stated.
“However, if you see all the options, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is an experienced bowler who I will say is still doing well. The selectors should keep an eye on him. They shouldn’t forget him totally, especially when you talk about T20 and 50-over formats.”
Ashish Nehra
The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster also mentioned how useful swing bowlers can still be in white-ball cricket. He clarified:
“When you talk about white-ball, Bhuvi can fit in any team, especially when he is bowling well, because he does not lack at all in terms of skill and experience. It’s a different thing that he didn’t play against Australia here, but he should be kept in the scheme of things.”
Ashish Nehra
Nehra admitted that competition for seamer slots is fierce, with names like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, and Avesh Khan in the running. He did, however, add that Bhuvneshwar has a solid head on his shoulders and should be considered if someone gets hurt or bowls poorly.