It Was An Unbelievable Over From Bhuvneshwar Kumar; Good Captaincy From Virat Kohli As Well - Gautam Gambhir

Former India opener, Gautam Gambhir commended Virat Kohli for his decision to bring in Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the 13th over in England’s run-chase in the fifth T20I. Gautam Gambhir also lauds the pacer for his ‘unbelievable over’ where he dismissed a well-set Jos Buttler breaking the 130-run stand between the opener and Dawid Malan.

Bhuvneshwar mixed up his pace shrewdly which led to a false shot from Buttler, who was threatening to take the game in England’s favour; Buttler’s dismissal initiated a collapse as the visitors fell 36 runs short of India’s total in the series-decider. Bhuvneshwar had castled Jason Roy in the first over and had bowled another brilliant over after that.

With the match veering away from India’s grasp, the skipper brought on his ace pacer much before the death overs, and Bhuvneshwar halted Buttler’s and England’s juggernaut.

“It was an unbelievable over. And good captaincy from Virat Kohli as well to bring him on in the 13th over. Because the run chase was absolutely on. He can just mix up his deliveries,” Gautam Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.

“I remember one reverse sweep which Jos Buttler missed, it was just a quicker one, and a yorker, and one wide outside the off-stump. He used all the variations he had to the best of his abilities, and it was the turning point of the game,” he added.

People like Bhuvneshwar Kumar always go under the radar: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir feels that Bhuvneshwar is often understated in presence of Jasprit Bumrah. However, in this series the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer, who was making his comeback to the national side after more than a year’s gap due to injuries, bowled brilliantly and earned the attention he deserves.

The 39-year-old former KKR skipper reckons Bhuvneshwar’s ability to swing the ball in both directions makes him a potent pacer, despite not having the pace. Bhuvneshwar will also feature in the ODIs against Eoin Morgan’s team before playing in the IPL 2021 under David Warner.

“I think it’s difficult to play swing bowlers as compared to seam bowlers in T20 cricket. Because with seam bowlers you can actually see the line and hit through the line. But if its swinging both ways, you would have to wait a little longer. And that is why Bhuvneshwar Kumar is so dangerous with the new ball. He can swing the ball both ways.

“Bhuvneshwar Kumar is very, very important to the team. There will always be times when we will discuss Jasprit Bumrah, and Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, because of their flamboyance and stuff. But there are people like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who are very useful and always go under the radar. But these are just as important as these guys,” the former opener stated.

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