Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 49 runs in his 4-over spell on India return.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his India comeback in the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies in Bengaluru recently but didn’t bowl as the game was rained out after India’s innings. He finally got a bowl in when India took on New Zealand in the first of the five T20Is on October 22, 2026, in Christchurch.
India opted to bowl first after Shreyas Iyer won the toss and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled the first over, marking the first time he bowled in an international game since 2022. However, it was a tough day out for Kumar, as he gave away 49 runs in 4 overs and even bowled two wides and two no-balls.
New Zealand posted 225/4 in 20 overs, thanks to 82* by Glenn Phillips, 45 by Finn Allen, and Bevon Jacobs’s 31.
RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik looked at his game in the first T20I against New Zealand and said Bhuvneshwar might be a little nervous.
“It was the no-balls that did him in. He’s not somebody who generally bowls no-balls. I am not sure why, but it may have been a bit of nerves. Two no-balls in a game is unheard of for him. So, I would put it down to the fact that he’s not as ready as he would want to be. But if we look closely, his first and last overs were very good. However, the second and third overs had no balls in them, and that is reflected in his analysis, as those were huge overs,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
“A lot of fans may be critical, but it’s his first day back in international cricket. So cut him some slack. But he has to be aware that no-balls are not a habit he wants to develop. He knows he’s better than that. But was he as good as he could be? Definitely not,” said Karthik.
Sanju Samson led India’s response, scoring 67 runs and adding 93 runs for the first wicket with Abhishek Sharma, who made 29 in 12 balls. Shreyas Iyer made 42 runs, and Axar Patel made 24 runs. Finally, it was Naman Dhir, who slammed 42* off 15 balls to lead India to a 4-wicket win.
This was also India’s highest successful chase in T20I cricket, and they went 1-0 up in the series. The second T20I will also be played at the same venue on October 24.