Former India pacer Suresh Raina has praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar after he was recently included in the Indian squad for the T20I series in New Zealand and also claimed that pacer Mohammad Shami will also make his comeback to the Men in Blue side shortly.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s inclusion in the Indian squad came after he had not played for the national side since 2022. He had been active in Indian domestic white-ball cricket and, in the last two seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), picked 45 wickets for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), helping them win the IPL in 2025 and 2026.

Suresh Raina has said that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a very disciplined bowler and that has pushed him back into the Indian team. He also added that Mohammad Shami will also follow his former teammate back into the national team soon.

Shami has not played for India since the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to form and fitness issues. He has been continuously performing in Indian domestic cricket and recently turned out for Bengal in their opening game of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season.

“Making it to the Indian team at the age of 36 shows character. He has been a very disciplined bowler and a very process-driven guy who has worked really hard on his body. Absolutely, I think he (Mohammed Shami) has done well and played good domestic cricket too. Now it is Bhuvi’s turn, aur Shami bhi aa rahe hai piche piche, tension mat lijiye (Shami is also right behind him, so don’t worry)," Raina said at the jersey launch of the Indian Soft Ball Cricket League.  

Shami didn’t have the best of the IPL 2025 and 2026, claiming just 18 wickets in 22 games at an economy rate of 10 runs per over. He last played a Test for India in the final of the 2023 World Test Championship against Australia.