Bhuvneshwar Kumar
For New Zealand, his comeback presents a challenge that goes beyond experience: the 36-year-old’s mastery of the new ball could prove decisive in conditions traditionally suited to swing bowling. If you see Bhuvi’s career graph in the last two years, he’s won the IPL also so he knows very well how to dominate this format.”
If there’s anything in the wicket, he’ll find something out of it,” Santner said on the eve of the series opener. “I mean in India it’s pretty challenging as a bowler these days, like we’ve seen in the recent series (against West Indies], 250 getting chased down – who wants to be a bowler? – but he might like it out here a little better,” Santner said. “Bhuvi, like you said, brings a lot of experience in the team,” Iyer said.
NEW DELHI: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner has identified Bhuvneshwar Kumar as a potential threat in the five-match T20I series against India, warning that the veteran pacer’s ability to exploit movement in the air and off the pitch could make him particularly dangerous in familiar swinging conditions. “I think Bhuvi will love these conditions in New Zealand. “[Even] on some flat ones in India, he still manages to nip the ball and swing the ball. So with the new ball out here especially, he’ll be a challenge. India captain Shreyas Iyer believes Bhuvneshwar’s return will add valuable experience to a bowling attack that has featured several newer faces. “That was something we lacked, especially after the IPL we had a lot of new bowlers.
Bhuvneshwar is returning to India’s T20I setup after nearly four years, and the opening match is scheduled at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday.