NZ vs IND: How did Bhuvneshwar Kumar perform in 1st T20I?

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback was not impressive.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been in the news for the last few weeks. The veteran pacer returned to the Indian squad after nearly four years in the recently concluded T20I series against West Indies.

He featured in the fifth T20I in Bengaluru, which is also his home ground in the Indian Premier League. But unfortunately, the game was washed out, and the 36-year-old didn’t get a chance to bowl.

However, he is part of the Indian T20I side in the ongoing series against New Zealand. In the first T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, Bhuvneshwar bowled for India after a long interval.

Interestingly, the last time he bowled for India at the international level was in November 2022 against New Zealand in Napier. He got his chance to bowl again for India, against the same opposition after almost four years.

Here’s how Bhuvneshwar Kumar performed in the 1st T20I

In the first T20I, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and decided to bowl first. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled the first over, and his line and length were very precise. He conceded only four runs on his return.

It was a great start, but he failed to carry on in his second over. He started the over with a no-ball and was a bit wayward. He conceded 17 runs in his second over during the powerplay. Team India brought him back for his second spell in the 16th over, where he bowled one more no-ball.

His third over went for 14 runs. The 36-year-old returned to bowl the final over of the innings; he delivered two wides, and 14 runs were scored off the last over. Bhuvneshwar finished his four-over spell with figures of 0/49.

It was a poor comeback for him in the Indian colours. It is now Bhuvneshwar’s second-most expensive spell in his T20I career. He will surely be disappointed with his performance and will be hoping for a better comeback in the second game.

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