After getting the Player of the Series award for India against South Africa in the T20I series, veteran bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar continued his recent hot streak against Ireland in the first game of the two-match T20I series on Sunday (June 26).
In the opening match at Malahide in Dublin, Bhuvneshwar provided India a quick start by dismissing the opposition skipper Andrew Balbarnie in the very first over. He finished with the figures of 1 for 16 in three overs at an economy rate of 5.33.
Balbarnie's dismissal elevated Bhuvneshwar to the top of the list in most wickets in the powerplay in T20Is. He surpassed Tim Southee of New Zealand and veteran West Indies spinner Samuel Badree, both of whom had 33 dismissals, by taking 34 wickets in the first six overs.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra was thrilled by Bhuvneshwar's performance in the first T20I, which set the tone for India in the match. Chopra praised the 32-year-old pacer for coming back strongly after a rough period.
This is Bhuvneshwar Kumar's second coming, said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
He said: "Let's talk about Bhuvi because he has found a second wind. If you had asked me six to eight months back, I would have said that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a very good bowler, but he is not in my T20 scheme of things because there was no pace in the deliveries."
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"There was swing in the hand, but let's be honest, the swing that was always there had also reduced, the pace was slightly going down, and suddenly you are asking that an important component of the bowling is missing, without which it will not work because there are a lot of other bowlers."
Bhuvi had previously struggled with his fitness and had sustained numerous injuries. He did, however, make a fantastic recovery and demonstrated that he still had a lot to give.
"But this is his second wind. You will give him a lot of credit for how well he has bowled. You will also credit the team management for sticking with him continuously, I felt they would not stay with him after the World Cup. But he is continuously improving.
"The way the ball is swinging from his hand, it's been a revelation of sorts about how well you can get your rhythm back. The speed gun is still showing the same speed but the swing is back. That means Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back. I am really, really happy for him," Chopra added.
In T20Is, Bhuvneshwar has taken the third most wickets for India. He has taken 65 wickets at an average of 24.01 in 65 games.
