Didn't Realize The Importance Of Increasing Pace During The First Couple Of Years Of My Career: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has revealed that he didn’t realize the importance to increase the pace during the initial years of his career.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar burst on the international scene during the 2012/13 white-ball series against Pakistan and he immediately turned heads with his ability to swing the ball both ways.

In fact, Bhuvneshwar’s first-ever delivery in ODI cricket was an inswinger that jagged back like a cobra to peg back Mohammad Hafeez’s off-pole.

However, with his pace being in the high 120s, batsmen soon adjusted to his swing and started lining him up.

Bhuvneshwar realized that he needs to up his pace in order to be more effective. But, he had no idea about increasing his pace without compromising on his ability to swing the ball.

“To be honest, first couple of years I didn’t realise pace is something that needs to be added. As I kept playing, I realised with swing I need to improve my pace because bowling in late 120kph or just 130kph, batsmen were adjusting to the swing. So, I wanted to increase the pace, but I didn’t know how to do it. That was the general trend to train hard and spend time in the gym” said Bhuvneshwar Kumar during an interaction with SunRisers Hyderabad’s official website.

The Indian seamer added that maintaining pace in the mid-130s while at the same time having the ability to move the ball keeps the batsmen guessing.

“Fortunately, I was able to improve the pace and that really helped me in the later stages. So yes, when you have pace, not the express 140-plus, but maintaining the mid-130kph help to maintaining that swing and keep the batsman guessing,” added Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has grappled with recurring injuries in the last three years. He hasn’t played Test cricket since 2018 and was recently overlooked from the 20-men squad for the upcoming Test summer in England.

There were reports in media that claimed that the seamer does not want to play Test cricket anymore and that he is focussing on white-ball cricket. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar took to his Twitter account to debunk the ‘sources’ and clarify that Test cricket still remains his No.1 priority.

”There have been articles about me not wanting to play Test cricket. Just to clarify, I have always prepared myself for all three formats irrespective of the team selection and will continue to do the same. Suggestion – please don’t write your assumptions based on “sources”!” he wrote on Twitter.

Also Read: He Will Get His Runs With A Bit Of Patience – Kapil Dev’s Advice For Virat Kohli To Succeed In England