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Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has bluntly said that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not always received fair treatment after experienced pacer was recalled for the upcoming five-match T20I series in New Zealand. However, rain ruined Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback match in Bengaluru.
After the fifth and final T20I was abandoned in Bengaluru, Kaif said that Bhuvneshwar’s performances were unfairly criticised after India suffered two big defeats against Pakistan and England, and even he compared the senior seamer with the premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah gets special treatment, Mohammed Shami gets snubbed? Mohammad Kaif demands explanation.
Mohammad Kaif compares Bhuvneshwar Kumar with Jasprit Bumrah
Mohammad Kaif compared Kumar’s T20I record with Jasprit Bumrah’s and said that the economy rate of both bowlers is almost the same. The former Indian batter also praised Bhuvneshwar for his simple personality and said the bowler continued to maintain a good record even when he was dropped from the India national cricket team.
Mohammad Kaif said on Cricbuzz: “Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a very solid and straightforward person who does not show off. He doesn't have any flamboyance. His T20I economy rate is almost the same as Jasprit Bumrah’s, and their overall statistics are also very close.”
| T20I Stats | Jasprit Bumrah | Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
|---|---|---|
| Matches | 100 | 88 |
| Wickets | 126 | 90 |
| Bowling average | 18.21 | 23.10 |
| Economy rate | 6.52 | 6.96 |
| Strike rate | 16.64 | 19.90 |
| Best bowling | 4/15 | 5/4 |
| Five-wicket hauls | 0 | 2 |
| Maiden overs | 13 | 10 |
Mohammad Kaif says India made Bhuvneshwar Kumar scapegoat after World Cup defeats
Bhuvneshwar faced heavy criticism after India lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets in the 2021 T20 World Cup Super-12 match and later suffered another 10-wicket defeat against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal in Australia’s Adelaide Oval.
However, Kaif believes the fast bowler was made a scapegoat for those losses, as the Indian batters also failed to score competitive totals against Pakistan and England in the T20 World Cup matches. Amid this, Akash Deep credits Gautam Gambhir for standing by him during tough times.
Kaif explained, “Even when Bhuvneshwar was dropped from the team, his performance was not bad. His record was good even then. But India lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets and later suffered another 10-wicket defeat against England in Australia, and the entire blame was put on Bhuvneshwar. However, he did not perform poorly there. Our batters also failed to put up competitive totals.”
Bumrah vs Bhuvneshwar bowling strengths
Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, both bowlers, have different bowling styles. Bumrah relies on his unusual action, high pace, sharp bounce and accurate yorkers to trouble batters. He can make an impact during the powerplay, middle overs and final overs.
But Bhuvneshwar is known for his smooth bowling action, control and ability to swing the new ball in both directions. His strength is taking wickets during the powerplay, although he can also use slower balls, knuckleballs and wide yorkers to trouble batters in the death overs.
