Bhuvneshwar Kumar Hitting Back at Critics with Strong Performances

By: Sandipan Bose

Turn the clock back to 2012 December – Bhuvneshwar Kumar was making his T20 debut against Pakistan in Bangalore. Put to bat first, the hosts could only compile 133, but it was Bhuvi’s opening spell that rekindled the hope for India before the arch-rivals walked away with the match.

But his spell left a strong imprint on our mind. What impressed us all was the way he swung the ball both ways at will and claimed three quick wickets of the Pakistani line-up. This is how it all begun.

Gradually, Indian captain MS Dhoni was also heard talking about how Bhuvi could become the next best thing in Indian cricket. Then came a phase when he the pundits talked about his lack of pace and inability to bowl in the slog overs.

Before he could sort out these problems, he was down with an ankle injury. Despite all that, he continued to get the backing of the team management during the 2015 World Cup for his sheer talent to swing the ball. In the process, he was in and out of the Indian team since then.

By the time, he was back in the thick of things, he had to bear the brunt of playing the India-Australia ODI series on flat decks. But Bhuvi’s once again came back to his elements in Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. He bowled with pace, accuracy and showed tremendous control with the new ball.

Sadly, he had to sit out of the Indian attack during the World T20 at home to accommodate Mohammed Shami. But the Meerut pacer didn’t lose his heart. He knew that his time would come.

And it come. Bhuvi was rewarded for believing in his ability and he has hit back at critics with some strong performances in the ongoing IPL. He is also the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Not only that — against the unbeaten Gujarat Lions, Bhuvi delivered a match-winning spell for the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday night.

Bhuvi’s four-wicket haul took us back to his 2012 debut T20 match, where he would let the ball do the talking. Especially, the in-swinger that uprooted Gujarat’s run-machine Aaron Finch’s leg-stump was a treat to watch.

He was also on a hat-trick in the last over of the Gujarat innings, but was unlucky to have missed out on the opportunity. In the end, he did get three wickets in the last over of his spell to finish with four scalps after conceding 29 runs. Clearly, his form augurs well for the Sunrisers and as well for India!