Follow UsBhuvneshwar Kumar showed his brilliance in the shortest format once again, bowling one of his most lethal spells to leave England in a complete mess. His swing was terrific and accounted for three wickets by giving away just 15 runs.
His opening spell broke England’s back and it was a shock they could never really recover from. In the post-match press conference, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, however, put his performance down to the conditions he felt were playing directly to his hands.
"I've been here quite a few times but it didn't swing in the last few series I've played here," Kumar said after the Man of the Match winning performance at Edgbaston. "Yes, even I was a bit surprised that the white ball is swinging and is swinging for a long period of time, especially in the T20 format. There's a bit more bounce on the wicket as well. So when the ball is swinging, you enjoy it more. Honestly, I don't know if I'm swinging it, some conditions or if it's the ball. But I'm glad it's swinging more."
"If it swings, which is my strength, I can get on to the attack. You see batters attacking when the wicket is flat. They play all the shots. In both these matches, the ball has swung and I was able to play to my strength. Then there are more chances of getting wickets.
"But it's important to keep it in control because when the ball moves, you feel like bowling 'one in, one out, one in, one out'. You have to control that urge and bowl consistently in one line and work on setting batters up," he added.
In 2021, Bhuvneshwar had found himself at crossroads as far as his career was concerned, with regular bouts of injuries and bad form forcing Sunrisers Hyderabad to release him for IPL 2022. Even though they signed him back again, there was a big haircut in his price, but the Meerut-born pacer proved everyone wrong by bowling with full force throughout the season.
His current form is crucial to India’s chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, something the England series has already given glimpses of. Kumar believes that he always wanted to comeback to the Indian team and never thought that his career was over.
"I never thought that was that for me. But yes, I was working with the trainers, physios and doing my thing. Of course, when you are out of the game, you are never confident. After the injury, I knew I had to come back and do well. There were no options. I felt I would get matches, and I wanted to give my 100% in them. But there's no guarantee you'd do well. When you have had injuries, you have... not doubt, but you are left frustrated and disappointed,” the pacer said.
“You're not in the best mental state. You keep thinking about wanting to do well on a comeback. Luckily I got a chance again, I did well. Of course, I was backed by the captain and coach. And it feels good to come good on that backing. Luckily I came back and am playing for India again."