‘I felt I’d be back after next 2 series’: Bhuvneshwar Kumar reveals how he realised his India return wasn’t coming

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up 45 wickets across last two IPL seasons

There has been a recent murmur in Indian cricket, with fans and many experts calling in unison for Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return to the Indian fold after four years. He last played for the national team in November 2022, in a T20I series in New Zealand, before falling out of the reckoning. But consecutive IPL title-winning campaigns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in which he starred with the ball, saw him back in conversations about a place in the Indian team.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar last played for India in November 2022

He picked up 17 wickets for RCB in IPL 2025, making an impact with both the new and old ball, and then took his performance up another notch in 2026, when he snared 28 wickets — one short of winning the Purple Cap for a record third time — at an average of 17.89.

Since the end of the last IPL season, Bhuvneshwar has been backed for a place in India's T20I set-up. Although the veteran pacer has repeatedly implied that he has moved away from such expectations, he admitted on a podcast with Jatin Sapru that he believes he deserves a place in the Indian team.

"Of course," he told Sapru on his YouTube channel. But he reiterated in the next breath: "I'm not playing to prove anything, but I'd be happy to play for India again."

"I have gone past that time when I used to wait for the next series," he said.

Bhuvneshwar last played for India in Napier in November 2022 in the T20I format, in the series following their semifinal exit at the T20 World Cup in Australia. He did expect a call-back from the selectors, but that hope met a bitter end soon after, and he eventually made peace with it.

"Till a few series," he said when asked if he expected to return to the Indian side after the New Zealand tour. "Because I had received a call. What they said, based on that I felt maybe next two series. But then I realised it's not what they said.

"It wasn't hurtful, because then I knew what was happening, and I made peace with it. It wasn't easy, but family played a big role," he added.

Bhuvneshwar revealed that he knew after India's semifinal loss to England in Adelaide at the 2022 T20 World Cup that it could be his last World Cup for India. He recalled calling his wife, Nupur, after returning to his room and telling her that he had played his last World Cup. However, he acknowledged that it was only fair for the selectors to look ahead to the next cycle.

"In Adelaide it happened. I came to my room and told my wife. I told this from my experience. In the dressing room, everyone was disappointed. There were a few briefs before we left. But when I came back to my room I told Nupur this was my last World Cup. Because what I have seen from my experience, when you lose a tournament like this selectors want to look ahead, and that is fair," he said.