Rohit likens Bhuvneshwar's India return to Akshaye Khanna's Dhurandhar comeback
Rohit Sharma has found a Bollywood parallel for the most talked-about recall in Indian cricket right now. Speaking on a television show, the former T20I captain said Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return to the national side reminded him of Akshaye Khanna. Khanna's career had a second wind after the blockbuster Dhurandhar. Rohit wished the swing bowler well for the New Zealand tour.
The comparison fits the story. Bhuvneshwar, now 36, last turned out for India in November 2022. That is a gap of nearly four years, long enough for most bowlers to be written off. He was added to the squad for the fifth and final T20I of the home series against West Indies in Bengaluru and was picked in the XI. Rain then ended that game after only 7.4 overs, so he did not get to bowl. His comeback on the field has therefore been put off until the tour of New Zealand.
There is a small catch in Rohit's remark about "going to New Zealand". Bhuvneshwar is in the T20I group only, for a five-match series that starts on October 22 at Hagley Oval in Christchurch and ends on November 1 in Hamilton. Rohit is in the ODI squad only, and only for the first three games. Those begin on November 4 in Auckland, three days after the T20Is end. The two old dressing-room mates will not share a field on this tour, even if both are on the same trip.
Why has the selection panel turned to him? Captain Shreyas Iyer gave the team's view at the pre-series press conference. He said Bhuvneshwar brings experience that the side lacked, especially after the IPL, when India used a lot of new bowlers. Iyer pointed to the pacer's IPL title wins in the last couple of years and said he understands how to dominate the shortest format. Iyer also spoke of the selection headache of having plenty of options. That is a useful problem for a captain to have, although his record as T20I captain trails those of Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit.
The numbers show the kind of bowler India are getting back. In 87 T20Is before this recall, Bhuvneshwar has 90 wickets at an average of 23.10 and an economy rate of 6.96. His best figures are 5 for 4. His record against New Zealand is less impressive. He has nine wickets in 11 T20Is against them at an economy rate of 8.02, with a best of 2 for 24. At home he has 34 wickets in 35 matches at 7.58 an over. Those numbers point to a bowler who was always more of a new-ball and death-overs specialist than a wicket-taker in the middle overs.
Conditions in New Zealand tend to suit swing and seam, and the evening starts there should help a bowler whose main strength is moving the ball both ways. The first T20I is a night game with a 12:30 pm IST start. If Bhuvneshwar plays, he will probably be expected to lead the attack with the new ball and give younger bowlers a senior voice to lean on.
For India, the tour is about more than one veteran's return. It is an early test of how Iyer handles a squad that mixes experience with young talent. It also shows how the team management is thinking about its bowling in the shortest format. Whether Bhuvneshwar's comeback turns out as well as the film comparison suggests will be known only once he is handed the ball in Christchurch.