Team India endured a disappointing outing in the 2022 Asia Cup, as the side was eliminated in the Super 4 stage with defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In both of their losses, India batted first after losing the toss and even as the side posted 170+ scores in both the games, Rohit Sharma‘s men eventually faced defeats in the final over. There had been another common factor in both the losses, however – Bhuvneshwar Kumar going significantly expensive.
The star Indian pacer, known for his impressive economy rate in the shortest format of the game, had figures of 1/40 against Pakistan, and conceded 14 runs in the crucial 19th over of the match against Sri Lanka that included two wides. Even as Bhuvneshwar made a brilliant return in India’s final game against Afghanistan where he registered incredible figures of 5/4 as the side clinched a 101-run victory.
Former Australia pacer Brett Lee spoke in detail about Bhuvneshwar’s performances of late, insisting that he would like to see more from the Indian fast bowler. In the match against Sri Lanka, Bhuvneshwar relied on his knuckle balls quite significantly during the opening overs of the game but Lee believes that the pacer should be focussing more on swinging the ball.
“I want more from Bhuvneshwar Kumar because I know how good he is. This guy is world-class. I want to see Bhuvi continue to make sure he swings the ball both ways, keeps his pace over 140, and if that happens, he leads from the front. He is a part of the wolf pack. If he leads from the front in Australia, I feel the Indian bowling attack can work around someone like him,” Lee told Quint.
Bhuveshwar has been an integral part of the Indian team since his return from injury in March last year, and was also the part of the pace attack that featured in India’s campaign in the T20 World Cup.
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