'I asked him 'Have you got any goals this IPL?' and he secretly said to me...': Steyn's riveting chat with Bhuvneshwar
SRH bowling Dale Steyn revealed an interesting chat that took place between him and Bhuvneshwar during the season, which convinced the SA legend that there was fire in the India quick's belly.
At 32, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still pretty much a solid performer. He may not be an automatic selection in India's Playing XI but the right-arm pacer on Sunday proved why he cannot be counted out just yet. Against South Africa, playing on his home ground of Cuttack, Bhuvneshwar returned stunning figures of 4/13 from 4 overs. It was the Bhuvi of old, viciously swinging the new ball and troubling the batters.
However, it wasn't too long ago that concerns prevailed over Bhuvneshwar with regards to his form and fitness. In the IPL 2022, representing Sunrisers Hyderabad, Bhuvneshwar's pace dropped but he did show signs of improvement. In fact, SRH bowling Dale Steyn revealed an interesting chat that took place between him and Bhuvneshwar during the season, which convinced the SA legend that there was plenty of fire left in the India quick's belly.
"I worked with him during the IPL. I asked him 'Have you got any goals this IPL?', and he secretly said to me, 'Yeah, I would like to win the Purple Cap again'. And I was like… this is fantastic. Just shows you that this guy is determined and he wants to play and prove something," Steyn told ESPNCricinfo.
With four months to go for the T20 World Cup, Steyn feels Bhuvneshwar could get the green signal to travel to Australia with the rest of the squad. With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel all but certain to make it, Bhuvneshwar could be the surprise package for India in Australia, a country he has historically performed well.
"Not just to India but to the world that he is very much a force to reckon with. And I think that extends to what could potentially go and happen for him later this year. He could really get a nod to go to the World Cup. He understands his game, knows when to train, knows his skills and he has got these little goals which he didn't need to tell anybody," added Steyn.
