Bhuvneshwar was Player of the Series in the recently concluded SA T20I series.
Former India cricketer Ashish Nehra feels Bhuvneshwar Kumar is yet to solidify his place in the white-ball squad of the national team. Bhuvneshwar was named the player of the series in the recently concluded five-match T20I series between India and South Africa.
With rain washing away the decider, the 5th T20I at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the series ended in a 2-2 stalemate on Sunday.
In the five-match series, Bhuvneshwar Kumar led a stunning comeback for the home team. Taking 6 wickets in 5 games at an average of 14.17, he played a key role in India’s comeback from 2-0 to 2-2.
Talking to Cricbuzz about Bhuvneshwar's recent form in the shortest format, Nehra said, "Bhuvneshwar definitely swung the ball in the series, but what's important for him now at this stage in his career is his fitness and the competition that's there around him. He is not yet a certainty in white-ball cricket. When you will make the World Cup team, he will have tough competition. Only four bowlers might go to the World Cup, five when you include Hardik."
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Nehra acknowledged that the 32-year-old swing master has regained his form after he put up a strong performance against the Proteas in the home series.
For the forthcoming T20I series against Ireland, Bhuveshwar has been selected as the vice-captain. India will play two T20s against Ireland in Dublin, on 26th and 28th of June.
"Bhuvneshwar has definitely got his confidence back from this series. Even in the IPL he bowled better than he has in the past two seasons. This is a huge plus for any player because you see in T20s not just at the start, but he also has those slower ones, knuckle balls and even if it's 130 kmph, Yorkers aren't easy to hit," Nehra added.
(Cricbuzz inputs)