Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has put his weight behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar amid the T20I series against New Zealand. Kumar recently made a comeback to the team’s playing XI after four years but he hasn’t been able to hit the ground running.
However, the veteran seamer had a tough return, returning with figures of 0-49 in his quota of four overs in the opening game. The experienced campaigner then bagged 1-50 in his four overs in the second game against the Kiwis on Saturday.
Kaif highlighted that Kumar is returning to the team’s final XI after four years and urged fans and pundits to give him some time.
“He is coming back after four years. Give him some time. It has been only two games. Cricket changes a lot in four years. We feel that he will pick a wicket on the very first ball. The game has gone to new heights. Playing in the IPL and playing for India is very different. People thought the ball would swing a lot in New Zealand, but the batting conditions are actually good here. Right away, he is back against a strong team,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
The former UP batter said it would be too early to judge Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance after only two games against the Blackcaps.
“It is early to judge right now. Yes, he will have to work on the no-balls. That is changing the momentum for him. It shows 50 off four overs, but if you break it down over by over, his bowling has been decent. Wait for the whole series and then analyse. He has bowled well in patches,” he added.
On the other hand, the NatWest Trophy final hero praised Prince Yadav for his fine spell. Yadav returned with impressive figures of 1-30 in his quota of four overs against the Kiwis and accounted for Finn Allen. Yadav was able to nail his yorkers and kept the hosts at bay.
“India bowled very well in this game. After a long time, we saw a game where they restricted the opposition to 180. Otherwise, 200 was the norm. I think there is a good balance in this combination. Prince Yadav bowled really well. His thinking was good, bringing in yorkers. I am very impressed with him. He has the pace, he has the slower ones too, the yorkers are there. It is very early, but he has done really well compared to others so far. A game plan is seen in his bowling,” Kaif said.
The third T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Henry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday.
Image credits: Joe Allison/ Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
