Former Indian middle-order batter Hanuma Vihari shared his views on the veteran Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s future after the T20I series against New Zealand. In four matches, Bhuvneshwar bowled 16 overs, conceding 180 runs and picking up only one wicket.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari reckoned if the seamer should receive one last chance before being sidelined from the national team. Further, he was disappointed with the pacer’s drop in pace compared to the IPL.
“Should Bhuvneshwar get one last game? I don’t know. His pace is down. For some reason, he was bowling at 126-127, whereas in the IPL, he was bowling at 135. Is that rhythm not there? Or is match fitness not there? We don’t know. But he was not impressive at all. Overall, the bowling was disappointing,” Vihari said on his YouTube channel.
Further, Vihari asserted that India’s bowling was a big concern, pointing out the inexperienced bowling attack struggled to pick up wickets and contain runs throughout the five-game T20I series.
“India’s bowling attack is a really big problem. There are a lot of concerns. Without Bumrah and Hardik, who is the go-to bowler? Arshdeep has improved over a period of time. But is he your go-to bowler? I know T20 cricket is changing drastically, but the bowling attack is a concern. There are questions about the bowling in white-ball cricket, and there have to be discussions about it. Who are the bowlers you will look at? That has to be discussed,” he added.
With India winning the T20I series 3-2 against New Zealand, the action now shifts to the five-game ODI series, commencing on Wednesday, November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland.
