Published on: Oct 9, 2026 5:22 pm IST|Updated on: Oct 9, 2026 5:22 pm IST
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to the national side is nothing short of remarkable. The Meerut-born pacer roared his way into the Indian T20I side for the upcoming tour of New Zealand on the back of some exceptional performances in the last two IPL seasons for the two-time champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Speaking to the media in Ranchi ahead of the second T20I against the West Indies, India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak shed light on the selectors’ line of thought behind bringing the 36-year-old seamer back into the national setup after four years.
Addressing the media about the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the national T20 side, Kotak highlighted that wile India’s emerging pace attack has performed seriously well, a seasoned campaigner like Bhuvneshwar will be vital to mentor the attack in New Zealand and other challenging overseas tours. With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable, the national management felt a void in guiding the younger contingent.
Explaining the necessity of veteran leadership in the fast-bowling department, Kotak remarked:
“In England, I personally felt that with Bumrah not being around and a lot of young bowlers playing, you can’t beat experience. The young bowlers are doing well and performing consistently, which is why they are getting selected, but at some stage, you also need experience. So, I think that might have been one of the reasons.”
“Another factor could be that Bhuvneshwar has been doing really well in the IPL over the last two seasons. The selectors may have felt that his experience would be useful in New Zealand conditions. Obviously, he has been performing well, and we need that experience, so they must have picked him with that in mind.”
Here is the schedule for the 5-match T20I series, which will be followed by 5 ODIs and 2 Test matches.