'Don't Think He'll be a Good Option in T20 WC': Ex-Pak Captain Says 'Batters Aren't Afraid' of Bhuvneshwar

Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a roller-coaster ride in the Asia Cup 2022. Being one of the senior players in the squad, he was expected to lead the bowling attack, especially when the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami weren’t around. He tried to deliver the best possible results, but a couple of games saw him succumbing to pressure.

The senior Indian turned out to be very expensive in the death overs in the ‘Super 4’ clashes. Against Pakistan, he conceded 19 runs in the penultimate over where India suffered a five-wicket defeat. Skipper Rohit Sharma handed him the same responsibility in a must-win game against Sri Lanka, but the pacer faltered again. He conceded 14 runs in the 19^th over as the Men in Blue lost the second match on the trot; by five wickets.

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Though Bhuvneshwar redeemed himself with a five-wicket haul against Afghanistan. However, it was too late by then as the defending champions were knocked out of the tournament already. The right-arm quick returned his career-best figures of 4 for 5 in four overs as India thumped Mohammad Nabi & Co by 101 runs.

Bhuvneshwar may have ended the tournament on a high but former Pakistan captain Salman Butt wasn’t pleased with his performance. Speaking in his latest YouTube video, Butt said the senior Indian pacer will struggle in Australian conditions.

“He is conceding a lot of runs in the death but taking wickets in the initial overs. The bowl is slightly swinging here (in the UAE). However, good teams will easily negate this much swing. The bowling wasn’t that difficult. Afghanistan’s batters hit through the lines, and most of them are power hitters. They didn’t have proper technique, and that’s why they couldn’t negate the swing," Butt said.

“Bhuvneshwar struggles with pace in death overs. He doesn’t have pace, and that’s why batters are not afraid of taking him on. I don’t think he will be a good option for India at the T20 World Cup," he added.

Despite some poor outings, Bhuvneshwar found support from his captain. Rohit, while addressing a press conference, said even experienced bowlers go for runs sometimes.

“Even experienced bowlers go for runs. Bhuvi has been playing for us for so many years and has won us so many matches in death overs," Rohit had said.

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