India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has credited the hard work for turnaround in his form and refuted any claims of change in his bowling action.
Notably, the 32-year-old was in sublime form during the five-match T20I series against South Africa at home as he scalped six wickets from five games, averaging 14.17. He carried his form to the three-match T20I series against England as he showed how potent he can be in seaming conditions after picking four wickets from two games with a decent average of 6.25.
Bhuvneshwar will be a key member for India in the upcoming Asia Cup and the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. When asked if he had made any changes in his bowling action in the last few months, the star India pacer replied: “Honestly, I didn’t make any change to my bowling (action). I just tried to bowl more, which brought my body back into rhythm. It brought back the confidence in me. Fitness is something if you improve, it helps you bowl better. But honestly I didn’t make any change in my bowling or worked on any particular aspect. Overall, I just bowled more whenever I got a chance,” said Bhuvi, who had a forgettable ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
“Of course when you are with the team, you practice, but I also kept working hard on my bowling at home and made an effort to keep myself in rhythm,” added Bhuvi in a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Bhuvneshwar also praised young pace bowler Arshdeep Singh, terming him as a tremendous potential. Notably, Arshdeep played a crucial role in India winning the opening T20I against the West Indies at Trinidad on July 29 by 68 runs, taking two wickets for 24 runs.
“The best part is when he (Arshdeep) bowls, he knows what exactly he wants, what field he has to set, how to bowl to a particular batter. It’s very rare that a new young bowler thinks like that. I suppose he had that maturity before he came into the India side,” opined Bhuvneshwar.
Bhuvi also rekoned that the four years Arshdeep spent with Indian Premier League (IPL) side Punjab Kings (PBKS) had given the maturity and confidence to play for Team India.
“He has been performing so consistently for the last two-three years at the top level. So, he knows what he wants to achieve in the game or in that point in time, which is a big thing. Meticulous planning is his biggest asset,” added Bhuvi.
Bhuvi also said the nature of white-ball cricket had changed drastically since the time he made his debut.
“When I started out with white-ball cricket, especially one-day cricket… that time the par score of 300-plus runs was not there. But, now, 300 runs is a par score. That is the biggest change I’ve witnessed. In T20 also if you make 180-190, teams know it is quite chaseable. These are the noticeable changes,” Bhuvi said.
“As a bowler, I am now more aware of what changes or variations I need against a particular batter, so those are the things that have improved. As the game goes further, more changes, more innovations will happen. The game has evolved big time,” he added.