“He may be a bit bit nervous

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might be feeling the nerves ahead of his potential comeback to the national team ahead of the fifth T20I against West Indies. The veteran pacer was called in as a late cover for the series finale at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru after an injury to Arshdeep Singh.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was recently named in the squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to begin on October 22. He last featured for India during the tour of New Zealand in late 2022, following which the team management moved on to young seamers.

However, his recent performances, including consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) titles with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), coupled with injury concerns and workload management, have forced the selectors to bring him back into the setup.

Mohammad Kaif said Bhuvneshwar Kumar might feel the weight of donning the Indian jersey once again as he comes into a different T20I era.

“Bhuvneshwar Kumar must have been thinking about the New Zealand series. He was on holiday with his family, and he must not have expected this call up. So, I don’t know how ready he is. So, I think he might be a little bit nervous, if he plays today’s match. But he is so experienced that he will manage it. It is not that he might not be able to swing the ball or such, but wearing the Indian jersey after 4 years, that feeling must be something else for him. That pressure must be something different because this is a high-scoring series and this is a series decider,” Mohammad Kaif said on Cricbuzz.

The toss for the fifth T20I between India and West Indies has been delayed due to rain in Bengaluru.

“He did not go about making 10 calls” – Mohammad Kaif on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s patience while waiting for a comeback before IND vs WI 2026 T20Is

Mohammad Kaif praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the way he went about his business and letting the performance speak for itself, instead of forcing his way back into the national team.

“Nobody ever goes back in Indian cricket, everybody wants to run forward. But this time he was rewarded for his form. When you expect a lot, you end up getting frustrated. You should never bring frustration into cricket. Bhuvneshwar Kumar knew that his job was to play, he knew about his skills. Whatever was not in his control, he did not go about making 10 calls or thinking about why he was not selected. He does not do all that,” Mohammad Kaif said.

“By doing all of that, your game gets affected. If you shift your focus to stuff like calling, thinking about why your name isn’t there, talking to someone from the association, calling RCB, he does not do that at all. He has a house in Noida, he has a happy family, and he trains every day. He is perfect in terms of his hard work, and that is why he is making a comeback,” he added.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is part of a seam bowling attack that includes Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav, and Prince Yadav for the New Zealand series, with Jasprit Bumrah being rested for the five-match affair.

Edited by Gokul Nair