Raises further questions about his comeback

Former opener Aakash Chopra feels that Bhuvneshwar Kumar not being picked for the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Auckland raises serious questions about his comeback. Chopra opined that the management was perhaps not pleased with his performances in the first three T20Is and hence decided to drop him.

India made two changes to their playing XI for the fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, October 30. Mayank Yadav came in for Bhuvneshwar, while Ishan Kishan replaced Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

During a discussion on his YouTube channel, Chopra shared his views on India’s decision to leave out Bhuvneshwar and stated that the move does not spell good news for the veteran pacer. He commented:

“Prasidh Krishna has not been selected in the ODI team because he is injured. But, it’s not like Bhuvi has been picked in the one-day team. He has played three matches and has leaked so many runs that questions are being asked about his comeback. Amidst all this, he has been made to sit out, which only raises further questions about his comeback.

“It almost seems like the Indian management is saying we have had enough. So, this comeback is not turning out the way the Indian fans were hoping for. It seems that there is a slight break here as far as his comeback is concerned,” Chopra went on to add.

Replacing Bhuvneshwar, Mayank impressed with the ball in Auckland, registering figures of 3-48 from four overs. He got the wickets of Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell and Bevon Jacobs. India, however, lost the match by 87 runs. Batting first, New Zealand put up 259-7 and then held India to 172-9.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s lackluster return to international cricket

Bhuvneshwar’s much-anticipated return to the Indian team has not turned out to be a very fruitful one. In three T20Is against New Zealand, the veteran right-arm pacer has managed just one wicket at an average of 139 and an economy rate of 11.58.

The 36-year-old registered figures of 0-49 in the first T20I in Christchurch and followed it up with 1-50 in the second T20I at the same venue. In the third match of the series in Wellington, he went wicketless, conceding 40 runs in four overs.

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert