"My only request is to never ever stop believing in your abilities" - Sreesanth backs Bhuvneshwar Kumar to excel at the T20 World Cup 2022
Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth has backed Bhuvneshwar Kumar to succeed at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. The right-arm seamer has had a rough time, especially while bowling at the death in India's recent set of matches.
In the absence of both Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel during the Asia Cup 2022, the Meerut-born pacer was tasked with bowling half of his spell in the death overs. However, he failed to land his yorkers and knuckleballs with precision and was hit for plenty of runs.
He conceded 19 and 14 runs in the penultimate overs against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, respectively, in the Super 4 stage of the tournament in the UAE.
Stating that Bhuvneshwar should not get confused amid the rough patch and just believe in his own abilities, Sreesanth said in an interaction with the Hindustan Times:
“If Bhuvneshwar Kumar is listening to this – most often they don’t do it – but my only request is to never ever stop believing in your abilities. Sometimes, you really stop believing in your abilities. Sometimes, you get confused. Sometimes, you read a lot, and watch a lot of videos. Sometimes, you listen to a lot of opinions on the commentary."
Sreesanth continued:
"Even I have done that; everyone goes through that phase. But you got to believe in the immense ability that has got you here and made you the king. You got to believe in the higher power and trust your work ethics."
Bhuvneshwar's shaky form continued into the home season as well. The pacer conceded 16 runs in his final over on the first T20I against Australia, ending with figures of 0-52. The dismal spell marked his most expensive one in T20Is after which he was dropped in the rain-curtailed second game.
"If he varies his pace on the hard bouncy wickets, he will get good help on Australian pitches" - Sreesanth on how Bhuvneshwar Kumar can succeed Down Under
Despite his poor set of spells of late, Bhuvneshwar is still considered a huge asset for the side due to his experience and ability with the new ball.
The pacer is set to miss the upcoming three-match T20I series against South Africa as he heads to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for rehabilitation.
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Opining that the team management and the fans have to stick by Bhuvneshwar at this crucial juncture, Sreesanth said:
He has done up good batsmen. Even if you bowl good balls, there are 60-70% chances of being hit. Sometimes, it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. We have to support Bhuvneshwar Kumar, just like (we have to support) Dinesh Karthik when it comes to batting
Noting that varying the pace is key on Australian pitches, Sreesanth added:
"I’m very confident about his experience and ability to swing the ball; he has a back-of-the-length slower ball, he has got the knuckle ball. If he varies his pace on the hard bouncy wickets, he will get good help on Australian pitches.”
Will Bhuvneshwar Kumar find success on the bouncy and pacy surfaces of Australia? Let us know what you think.