IND v WI 2022: Dinesh Karthik advises Bhuvneshwar Kumar to keep reinventing himself to stay up-to-date

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was dropped for ODI series against West Indies.

Veteran India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has advised fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar to stay updated with the changing times and to keep reinventing himself in order to stay relevant with the young crop of fast bowlers coming up to stake claim in the Indian team.

Kumar will be in the limelight as India prepares to take on West Indies in the first of the three T20I matches which will be played in Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Bhuvneshwar Kumar went wicketless in the ODI series versus South Africa, leading to his ouster from the subsequent home ODI series against the West Indies.

Off late, he has struggled with fitness and injuries as well and with the rise of Deepak Chahar as a swing bowler and potential all-rounder, pressure is on the experienced pacer to keep himself in contention for the Indian team.

The 32-year-old Bhuvneshwar expects a change in fortunes and senior India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik feels the bowler has a great opportunity to get his mojo back.

"Obviously everybody knows that he has not probably gone well as you would have liked him to in the previous series. So this is going to be a great opportunity for him to showcase his skills. It's a good thing that in Kolkata the ball does tend to move. So, I think under lights he'll be more than happy to swing the ball both ways and pick up a few early wickets," Karthik told Cricbuzz.

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Karthik also stressed Bhuvneshwar’s ability to swing the ball both ways, which might trouble the aggressive West Indies batters.

"I've always been impressed over the years by Bhuvi's ability to move the ball both ways. Also his ability to bowl good variations and mix it up with short stuff and bowl nasty at the death. I think he just needs to get back to that way. Maybe just reinvent himself just a little bit and keep up with the times," he said.

The Indian camp will look to rebuild the side and find the perfect combination for the T20 World Cup this year, and the West Indies T20Is will be the first obstacle in the build-up to the T20 spectacle.

But Karthik warned the Indian team that the West Indies contingent is not to be taken lightly at all.

"West Indies' strength is this format. One interesting name is Shai Hope, obviously, he prefers the other two formats but it's good to see them backing him here as well. I'm sure he will be a backup for Nicholas Pooran. It does look like a pretty solid West Indies T20 team. I expect them to compete much better than what they did last week," he concluded.

(Cricbuzz inputs)