Irfan Pathan has questioned the decision to reintroduce Bhuvneshwar Kumar into the T20I squad for the recent series against New Zealand. The veteran bowler only took one wicket while leaking 180 runs across four games. But Pathan feels the real issue was the timing of Bhuvneshwar’s return.
After almost four years away from the international scene, Bhuvneshwar was brought back into the T20I squad in an attempt to boost the bowling attack. The veteran pacer was expected to provide swing off the new ball and keep the run rate down. But his form hasn’t been great.
India went on to win the series 3-2 under captain Shreyas Iyer, but they started brightly by winning their first three games. However, New Zealand bounced back strongly to win the last two games. Bhuvneshwar’s individual figures have been a topic of conversation due to how many runs he has leaked.
“We just don’t understand why he is being brought back at this time. We could have used this as an opportunity to really give our young pacers an opportunity for the next T20 World Cup,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Struggling with the ball
In the first T20I, Bhuvneshwar struggled during his first game back in the T20I format for India. He gave up 49 runs across his four overs without claiming any wickets. His economy rate was 12.25.
In the second game he picked up his only wicket of the series, dismissing New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell for six. But he once again leaked many runs, giving up 50 runs in four overs.
During the third game he once again leaked 40 runs. He wasn’t even selected in the playing XI for game four. However, he was brought back for the decider.
Unfortunately for India he didn’t improve. He leaked 41 runs in four overs, leaving him with the disappointing figures of 1/180 from 16 overs. His economy rate overall was 11.25.
Young bowlers missed out
While Pathan does acknowledge Bhuvneshwar’s experience and quality as a bowler, he felt that it was a missed opportunity for younger bowlers to get some game time.
“We could have used this tour as an opportunity to give Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav some game time. They can get some experience of bowling in foreign conditions. Especially on tricky pitches like we saw,” he said.
Mayank could have been given a chance throughout the games while Prince could have also benefitted. It is important to give them these opportunities while trying to build a good pace attack.
But he also stated that this was not purely due to Bhuvneshwar’s expensive spells. The veteran bowler has been unfortunate through parts of the series, and it is easy for a bowler to leak a few expensive overs.
Why the timing was an issue
Pathan’s main point was that the selectors should look at long-term plans for the team. If India were building up to a 50-over World Cup it makes more sense to bring Bhuvneshwar back. As the next T20 World Cup is further away.
It isn’t about whether Bhuvneshwar is a quality bowler or not. It is about whether this was the correct series to bring him back in or if it should have been used as an opportunity for younger bowlers.
Building a strong pace attack takes more than finding quality bowlers. Young bowlers need to get game time in different conditions and learn how to cope with the pressure on the big stage. If they don’t get these opportunities it can affect how the team are prepared for future tournaments.
While Bhuvneshwar has had a huge impact on Indian cricket in the past, his figures in this series have caused some debate around the selection. The Indian team have won the T20I series against New Zealand 3-2, but the debate around Bhuvneshwar will continue. Pathan has questioned whether this opportunity could have been used to help prepare India’s young pace attack.
