"The old Bhuvi is back" - Aakash Chopra on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's performance in 1st IND vs ENG T20I
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has refound found his mojo, especially in T20Is. The 32-year-old was instrumental in giving India a perfect start with the ball against England at Southampton on Thursday.
Kumar dismissed England captain Jos Buttler for a golden duck by castling him with a vicious inswinger. He got the ball to swing both ways and didn't let Jason Roy get away either.
In his three overs in the powerplay, the experienced pacer gave away just 10 runs in what was an incredible bowling display.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Aakash Chopra had to say about Kumar's resurgence:
"The way Bhuvi clean bowled Buttler was fantastic. It's almost like he has found his second wing. Six months ago, I had said that he may not be my first-choice swing bowler in T20 and one-day cricket. But in the past six to eight months, whenever you saw him, you felt he has reinvented the wheel, the old Bhuvi is back."
He added:
"There is accuracy, and wicket-taking ability and the ball is swinging. So Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also making his presence count."
An absolute peach from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. https://t.co/OOq16tA4tl
Aakash Chopra on Dinesh Karthik's batting position
Aakash Chopra was a bit baffled when India sent Axar Patel to bat ahead of Dinesh Karthik against England at Southampton. The visitors had more than eight overs remaining in the first innings when they lost their fourth wicket.
However, Karthik seems to have been given the role of a genuine finisher who can score some quick runs at the death. On this, Aakash Chopra stated:
"Why was Dinesh Karthik sent in to bat so late? I understand he is your designated finisher, but when the wickets had fallen, 11.4 overs were bowled. Can't a finisher do other jobs too? He would have scored 40-odd and that's the kind of batter that he is."
He also shed light on how well debutant Arshdeep Singh bowled, especially in the powerplay where he provided great support to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Singh finished the match with figures of 2/18 from 3.3 overs and bowled a maiden over as well. Chopra added:
"Arshdeep Singh was very impressive on his debut. He bowled his first over as [a] maiden over. The good thing was that his hands and legs were trembling under pressure. But he bowled really well."
India will look to seal the series when the two teams meet for the second T20I on Saturday (July 9).