“He has deviated a little bit from what he is good at” – Former RCB player’s huge take on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s form ahead of NZ vs IND 2026 3rd T20I

Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik believes that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has deviated a little from his usual standards of tight lines and good speeds in recent matches against New Zealand. The veteran pacer made a stunning return to the national side after almost four years, but has recorded figures of 0-49 and 1-50 in the first two T20Is of the five-match series.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has uncharacteristically bowled no-balls and has been on the higher side of the economy since his return. His most recent outing marked the second time he conceded 50 runs in a T20I clash. He was initially named in the squad for the New Zealand tour, but his return was moved up after an injury to Arshdeep Singh towards the end of the home series against West Indies.

Dinesh Karthik believes that the decision to include Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the fifth T20I against West Indies might have affected his preparations, resulting in such poor returns.

“He has deviated a little bit from what he is good at, I feel, which is bowling a lot more at the stumps. He has gone slightly wider than what he would have, and I hope somebody is telling him that. That is something that I observed in the two games that he played. The second thing would be that he was on the process of what’s called ‘Return to Play’, I don’t know if it got different because he was part of the squad for the 5th T20I. How strong or robust he is internally is only something he can answer,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“At that age, you need to have a proper plan according to when you play, and start training for that. Suddenly, if you are put in for another game, if your body is not up to the rigors of what it takes and you might let go of a few training sessions trying to play that game, it does have an impact,” he added.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, however, did not avail an opportunity to bowl at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the series finale against Shai Hope and co., as the match was called off due to rain after only 7.4 overs.

“Like any other human being, Bhuvi would feel the pressure” – Dinesh Karthik backs Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bounce back in NZ vs IND 2026 3rd T20I

India bowling coach Morne Morkel defended Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s tough start back in international cricket and urged him to not lean too much into expectations. Dinesh Karthik, who works closely with the veteran bowler at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), also backed him to translate his success from the IPL despite the pressure.

“His accuracy was good, but I don’t think it was at the speed at which he usually does. That is a big change when it comes to Bhuvi. He is obviously, always accurate, but the speed, when you bowl early 130s and mid 130s, there is a difference. I feel Morne Morkel is trying to go down the route and explain to him that whatever you have done so far has worked, especially in the IPL, so just be the same version of yourself. Like any other human being, Bhuvi would feel the pressure,” Dinesh Karthik said.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a tight first over with the new ball in the ongoing third T20I against New Zealand in Wellington, conceding only three runs.

Edited by Gokul Nair