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‘Absolute certainty. He’s inked his name in India's T20 World Cup squad': Ex-India and England cricketers after 1st T20I
Ever since Bhuvneshwar made a comeback to the Indian white-ball sides earlier this year, he has proven to be a handful for all opposition top-orders. That is why former India opener Wasim Jaffer and former England spinner Ashley Giles believe, he is a certainty in India's T20 World Cup squad.
According to Cricvizz data, Bhuvneshwar Kumar achieved a 2.2-degree swing in the powerplay in the first T20I against England at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, which is as rare as it gets. The way he made Jason Roy hope in the crease for the first three deliveries with outswingers and then bowled a vicious in-dipper to castle Jos Buttler for a golden duck could easily find a way into the manual of new-ball bowling. Ever since Bhuvneshwar made a comeback to the Indian white-ball sides earlier this year, he has proven to be a handful for all opposition top-orders. That is why former India opener Wasim Jaffer and former England spinner Ashley Giles believe, he is a certainty in India's T20 World Cup squad.
Jaffer had no doubts about Bhuvneshwar's presence in India's T20 World Cup squad as he believes, a bolwer who swings the ball is likely to trouble most batters in the world. "In international cricket, a bowler who swings the ball will have most of the batters struggling, especially with the ball you don't see many bowlers swinging it but Bhuvi is a great exponent of it. He's been getting it right since he has come back to the side and it was great to see him producing a good performance against a quality batting line-up. I don't see any doubt in my mind that he's going to be in the World Cup squad. He's an absolute certainty," he told ESPNCricinfo.
Bhuvneshwar gave away just 10 runs in his first three overs and picked up the crucial wicket of Buttler in the very first over to leave a big dent in England's 199-run chase. The only boundary he conceded was when Dawid Malan walked across his stumps to negate his swing and manufacture a flick towards the on-side.
The World Cup is slated to take place in Australia towards the end of this year. Generally, conditions are not as favourable for swing bowlers there as they are in England but Giles believes if anybody is likely to extract swing, that is India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
"Will the ball swing as much in Australia? I don't know but if anybody swings it will be Bhuvi. I think he has inked his name into that World Cup squad already," he said.
In Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami's absence - both of them rested from the white-ball formats - Bhuvneshwar has led India's pace attack in the five-match T20I series against South Africa, the two T20Is and Ireland and now he is expected to the same throughout these three T20Is against England.
