Ajit Agarkar urged to 'communicate' with Bhuvneshwar Kumar for ODI World Cup: 'We'll need him in South Africa'

Ravichandran Ashwin reckons India will need Bhuvneshwar Kumar in South Africa for the ODI World Cup.

Updated on: Jul 31, 2026, 18:58:02 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the seasoned pacer who had an amazing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign for the eventual champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), is back in the discussion, and several former players believe that he should be in the plans for the ODI World Cup 2027. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reckons that the Men in Blue would need his services in next year's tournament, and hence the selectors should open dialogue with him.

Ashwin wants Bhuvneshwar Kumar to be picked in the ODI World Cup squad. (PTI)

Bhuvneshwar, 36, picked up 28 wickets for RCB in the IPL 2026 season, finishing as the leading wicket-taker for the franchise. However, the pacer hasn't represented India since November 2022. Interestingly, his last ODI appearance came way back on January 21, 2022 against South Africa.

However, Ashwin believes Bhuvneshwar should be part of India's World Cup plans. While playing a Yes, No or Maybe game on Cricinfo, Ashwin was asked to slot the players in India's World Cup squad. The former India spinner said yes to names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj, while saying no to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Gurnoor Brar, among others.

Also Read: Ajinkya Rahane's retirement leaves KKR with a leadership crisis; IPL 2027 auction now holds the key

He placed names like Mohammed Shami, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the maybe category. However, once the host had finished with all the names, Ashwin brought up Bhuvneshwar.

"But where is Bhuvneshwar Kumar? He is a yes; I would communicate with him and get him to play all first-class tournaments, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and everything. And get him prime going to South Africa, I think we'll need him," Ashwin said on Cricinfo.

Speaking of the right-arm medium pacer Bhuvneshwar, he has played 121 ODIs for India so far, scalping 141 wickets with his best figures being 5.42.

Ashwin might be inclined towards picking Bhuvneshwar again, but looking at how the current selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has operated, it's unlikely that the pacer would get a look in again. The last few ODI series have seen the Men in Blue go for tall pacers who can crank it up. Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna are expected to get the majority of the games in the build-up to the competition, alongside Bumrah and Siraj.

ODI World Cup venues revealed

On Thursday, the ICC revealed that 12 venues across South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe would be hosting the ODI World Cup 2027. The 14-team tournament will be played in October and November.

The 12 venues for the competition are: Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg), Centurion (Tshwane), Newlands Cricket Ground (Cape Town), Kingsmead Cricket Ground (Durban), St George’s Park (Gqeberha), Mangaung Oval (Bloemfontein), Boland Park (Paarl), and Buffalo Park (KuGompo City, formerly known as East London) in South Africa; Harare Sports Club (Harare), Queens Sports Club (Bulawayo), and the newly constructed Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium (Victoria Falls) in Zimbabwe; and Namibia Cricket Ground (Windhoek) in Namibia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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