Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has shown his prowess with the bat on numerous occasions, especially in Test matches, where he has three half-centuries to his name and the highest score of 63*. But in ODIs, he rarely gets to bat long enough to make an impact.
However, in an ODI against Sri Lanka during the 2017 tour, Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined MS Dhoni in earning a hard-fought win for his team, this time with his bat.
It was the second ODI of the five-match series at Pallekele in 2017 and Sri Lanka had set India a revised target of 231 runs to win in 47 overs. Though Rohit Sharma (54) and Shikhar Dhawan (49) added 109 for the 1st wicket, spinner Akila Dananjaya picked 6/54 to rout the middle order of the team, leaving India 131/7 at one stage in the 22nd over.
Dhoni was looking for some support to take India past the finishing line and Bhuvneshwar stepped up to the plate. “I never thought in my dreams I would score a fifty in one-dayers; not fifty but match-winning knock because one-dayers is a format which doesn’t suit my batting because I am not the kind of batsman who can hit big sixes,” Bhuvneshwar had told Hindustan Times after the match.
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“But that kind of situation was perfect for me because it was totally a Test match situation. When I went in, MS (Dhoni) said the same thing ‘play the way you play in Test matches’,” he added.
Bhuvneshwar ended up with 53* in 80 balls with 4 fours and 1 six, while Dhoni made 45* in 68 balls with 1 four, with the duo adding 100* runs for the 8th wicket and took India home with almost 3 overs to go.
Recently, a Twitter user asked Bhuvneshwar about this innings and partnership with Dhoni during a Q&A session and Bhuvneshwar replied, “One of the memorable moments. It’s always special to contribute with bat.”
