'Too predictable... starts bowling off-stump yorkers as he has no pace': Ex-PAK captain's brutal attack on Bhuvneshwar
Bhuvneshwar gave away 16 in the 19th over versus Australia, who pulled off a record chase of 209 in the first T20I in Mohali on Tuesday night.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's poor show at the death has been a hot topic of debate, especially with the hotly-anticipated World T20 being just around the corner. The senior fast bowler has conceded quite a lot of runs in his last few games. He gave away 16 in the 19th over versus Australia, who pulled off a record chase of 209 in the first Twenty20 International in Mohali on Tuesday night. Bhuvneshwar earlier leaked 14 runs against Sri Lanka and 19 against Pakistan in the recently concluded Asia Cup.
A fit-again Jasprit Bumrah is expected to strengthen the bowling attack but Bhunvneshwar's display remains a huge concern for Indian men. The seasoned pacer has been taken to the cleaners and former Pakistan captain Salman Butt feels his lack of pace allows batters to play more freely. He described the Indian as a "conditional" bowler who stands out when he gets movement off the new ball.
'Bhuvneshwar isn't a bad bowler but he is a conditional bowler. When he gets movement with the new ball, he seems dangerous. But when the pitch doesn't offer him help, he can't defend his team's total. I agree that he is an experienced bowler but when someone gains experience, his opponents also get to know a lot about him as his strengths get exposed too," Butt said on his YouTube channel.
"You need to work hard when you are playing at the biggest level... everyone is watching you and you need to go a step further. He (Bhuvneshwar) is too predictable. He starts bowling off-stump yorkers at the end as he doesn't have pace. Any batter will hesitate against a genuine fast bowler than a medium pacer. If India want to play Bhuvneshwar, they should use him earlier instead of using him in final overs," he added.
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar also criticised Bhuvneshwar's performance after his 16-run over allowed Australia to go 1-0 in the three-game T20I series. "I don't think there was too much dew. We didn't see the fielders or bowlers trying to use the towel to try and dry their fingers. That's not an excuse. We didn't bowl well. For example, that 19th over... that's a real concern," Gavaskar said on 'Sports Today'.
"Somebody like a Bhuvneshwar Kumar is going for runs every single time, when he is expected. In 18 deliveries he has bowled in three matches against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and now Australia, he has given away 49 runs. It is almost three runs per ball. Somebody with his experience and calibre, you expect he will give 35-36 runs in those 18 deliveries. That really is an area of concern," he added.
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