3 reasons Bhuvneshwar Kumar should be in India's T20 World Cup squad

Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the 2nd IND vs SA T20I [Credit: BCCI]

Just four months from now, the stage will be set for the T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia. One nation which will aim to improve from their previous campaign will be India, who were knocked out in the group stage of the last edition of the event.

With the completion of the recently-concluded IPL 2022, India will now have an even greater pool of talented players to pick their team from. A player who has made a strong case for himself is veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

While he may not have the express pace of Umran Malik or Jaspreet Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar excels in bowling tight lines with great shape and movement.

As the Indian team's preparations for the T20 World Cup are afoot, let's present three reasons why Bhuvneshwar Kumar must be included in India's squad for the marquee event.

#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar will want to redeem himself

Bhuvneshwar Kumar can redeem himself in the T20 World Cup later this year

The years 2020 and 2021 weren't memorable for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Plagued by injuries, the Meerut-born bowler missed a major chunk of cricket in 2020. He then found it hard to get back to his best in the subsequent year.

IPL 2021 saw Bhuvneshwar record one of his worst seasons, where he picked up only six wickets in 11 games at an alarming average of 55.8 (his career-worst bowling average in IPL history).

While Bhuvneshwar was selected in India's T20 World Cup 2021 squad, he could only play one game, in which he went wicketless. It seemed to dent his confidence.

However, after an unsuccessful tour to South Africa, Bhuvneshwar made a strong comeback this year. He performed well in the white-ball series against West Indies and Sri Lanka before having a decent IPL 2022.

The 32-year-old is India's second-highest wicket-taker this year in T20Is with 12 wickets in 10 games at an average of 17. He was also the Player of the Series in the recently-concluded five-match T20I series between India and South Africa.

With form on his side this time, Bhuvneshwar will have a golden opportunity to redeem himself in this year's T20 World Cup. His desire to prove himself might get the best out of him.

#2 An experienced campaigner

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has experience on his side

A high-pressure tournament requires players with great calibre and good experience. Having made his T20I debut almost a decade ago, Bhuvneshwar Kumar might well be needed for India in an event like the T20 World Cup, which they haven't won in the last 15 years.

A seasoned professional, the Indian pacer has done hard yards in his career and has been part of the Indian setup since 2012. Bhuvneshwar has featured in four different Indian World Cup squads.

🔥🏏 THE SWING MAESTRO! Bhuvi hasn't missed a beat in all these years of his career. He holds the record for the most number of Man of the Series awards for an Indian pacer.

📸 Getty/ BCCI • #BhuvneshwarKumar #INDvSA #INDvsSA #TeamIndia #BharatArmy https://t.co/xlQCtBjeN7

He has played 65 T20Is for India so far - the most by any Indian bowler. In those matches, Bhuvneshwar has picked up 65 wickets at a thrifty economy rate of just 6.9. Apart from this, Bhuvneshwar has also played 121 ODIs, taking 141 wickets at an economy of 5.08.

With experience on his side, Bhuvneshwar can be a huge asset for India and can play his part in providing them with major breakthroughs at the world event.

#1 A dependable bowler in any phase of the game

Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be relied upon in any phase of the innings

Having Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a captain's delight in the T20 format. Not only can he make the new ball talk, Bhuvneshwar is extremely adept when it comes to death bowling as well.

Picking wickets early in the innings holds significance in T20Is and Bhuvneshwar is as good as anyone in scalping those crucial wickets. He recently broke the record for picking the most T20I scalps in the powerplay (34).

Bhuvneshwar can take advantage of Australia's favourable seaming conditions and provide India with flying starts with the ball if picked for the T20 World Cup.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken the most powerplay wickets in T20Is 🤩🙌🇮🇳

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The veteran pacer doesn't limit himself to success with the new ball alone, but can close out the innings with his exceptional death bowling expertise. Bhuvneshwar's economy of 6.9 in T20Is and 7.3 in IPL indicates his ability to not leak runs and making batters toil hard for their runs.

While Bhuvneshwar can move the ball both ways upfront, he also possesses knuckle balls and wide-line yorkers for death overs in his repertoire. The 'Swing King' has bowled many tough overs for India and his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The fact that his economy has never crossed 8 in any IPL season says a lot about his proficiency and skill.