IND vs AUS: "Bhuvneshwar Kumar Will Be A Certainty In India's Squad For T20 World Cup": Cheteshwar Pujara

The Indian bowling attack has been under the scanner after India’s exit from the Asia Cup 2022. The bowlers weren’t able to defend against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The bowlers weren’t able to pick wickets at the crucial junction which was the need of the hour. The management would be questioned as the pace bowlers weren’t executing Yorkers at the death overs which is a must to stop the flow of runs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been under the pump as the fast bowler was thrashed by both Pakistan & Sri Lankan batters. In the match against Afghanistan, the pacer took a 5-wicket haul and was looking in a good rhythm. Indian Cricket Team heavily relies on him to deliver as he has that ‘X’ factor. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have to be at his absolute best against Australia in the upcoming T20I Series to make a case for himself.

Cheteshwar Pujara on Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Cheteshwar Pujara was seen speaking on ESPNCricinfo and was asked about Bhuvneshwar Kumar. “I think he is a top-quality bowler. There shouldn’t be any doubt about him being part of the World Cup squad and, especially in Australia, he should be part of the playing eleven as well.

“I know Arshdeep is bowling really well, but after the performance against Afghanistan, we can afford to bowl him three overs in the powerplay if we need to, because we have Bumrah and we have Harshal Patel, who can bowl at the death,” said Pujara

“I think considering there is a big World Cup coming, we would still play him but try and make sure that he doesn’t play all the games. Maybe, out of three important games, he just plays the first two and if India is ahead or have won the first two games, he can be rested in the third one.

“Same in the next series as well. I don’t think he needs a complete break. It is important for him to stay in the rhythm, stay the way he has been bowling. And he needs match practice. I understand that there is a lot of workload if he was playing red-ball cricket. But he is just playing white-ball cricket. I still feel that if he gets a few more games before the World Cup it will help him,” said Pujara.

Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid in Conundrum

Head Coach Rahul Dravid & Skipper Rohit Sharma would be worried about the fast bowlers. There is uncertainty regarding Shami’s place in the playing 11 as the fast bowler hasn’t played any T20Is since the 2021 T20 World Cup. At the same time, they would also be aware that a newbie like Arshdeep would be targeted in  ICC T20 World Cup 2022.

There is no doubt that Bumrah would lead the attack and provide stability to the bowling lineup. There is a sense of fear that India’s 5th bowler would get hammered as Hardik Pandya is not a reliable option. Even if India has a strong bowling lineup; there are still a lot of problems in the bowling lineup which need to be sorted out quickly as there is hardly any time before the T20 World Cup 2022.

Also Read: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022: Both Rishabh Pant And Dinesh Karthik Need To Play For India- Cheteshwar Pujara