Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir lavished rich praise on Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his performance in the match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022.
After his disastrous performance in the T20 World Cup 2021, Bhuvneshwar’s place in the side came under scrutiny. Many were in favour of dropping him from the side as they felt that the right-arm seamer was finished.
He lost his place in the ODI side but management backed him and gave him chance in the T20Is. Since then, Bhuvneshwar has completely changed as a bowler. He has provided India with starts in almost every match with the ball and also has been brilliant at the death.
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The senior Indian pacer once again stood tall for his side as in India’s clash against Pakistan, he troubled the opposition with his swing and short balls and helped his side bundle out the arch-rivals for just 147 runs.
Bhuvneshwar gave his team a perfect start as he first removed Babar Azam and then took three more scalps to return with the figures of 4/26, which is also the best figures by an Indian bowler against Pakistan in T20Is.
Speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir lashed out at people criticizing Bhuvneshwar for his poor performances and lauded him for his swing bowling.
“How good is Bhuvi now, because Bhuvi has started to swing the ball. The debate that was there that Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs to bowl at 135-140 kph if he has to survive in international cricket, it was absolute crap," Gautam Gambhir said.
Gambhir said batters in T20s don't mind pace but hate playing swing which makes Bhuvneshwar Kumar a "very very lethal bowler".
"His bowling is only to swing the ball. He will be extremely effective till the time he swings the new ball. He was always a good bowler at the death. No batter in the world likes swing, especially in the T20 format. They don't mind the pace.
"So Bhuvneshwar Kumar with his swing, always a very very lethal bowler. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's biggest specialty is that whether you bowl him the first ball of the match or any other ball, he always bowls at a length that tests the batters," he said.
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Gambhir said that although Bhuvneshwar may not be as talented as Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, he knows his limitations and has different game plans which makes him successful.
“He knows his limitations. He might not be as talented as Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah but to know your limitations and to stick to them, to have different game plans, can make you extremely successful and that is Bhuvneshwar's specialty," he said.
The kind of form Bhuvneshwar is in, he’s likely to play a vital role for his team in the Asia Cup 2022 followed by the T20 World Cup 2022. He will be next seen in action when India will clash with Hong Kong on Wednesday (31st August).
(Star Sports inputs)
