Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a 36-year-old fast bowler, has been added back to India’s T20I team for the five-match tour of New Zealand. The 16-man roster was revealed on October 6 by the BCCI senior selection committee. The series starts on October 22 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, giving the seasoned pacer a big chance to demonstrate his form and fitness on a global scale.
If Bhuvneshwar Kumar does well in the New Zealand T20I series, Ravichandran Ashwin has backed him to return to the ODI lineup. The former India spinner thinks the selectors will keep a careful eye on Bhuvneshwar’s performance throughout the tour, and if the right-arm seamer performs well, he might be included in India’s squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup alongside players like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
He is now leaving for New Zealand. Everyone will say, “Just take him for the ODI team as well,” if he performs well, I promise you. The selectors will be keeping a careful eye on things. Nobody can prevent Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar from travelling together to the World Cup and Bhuvneshwar bowling the opening ball if he swings the ball and demonstrates a reasonable level of fitness,” Ashwin stated, as cited on YouTube.
In November 2022, Bhuvneshwar made his final appearance for India in New Zealand, shortly after the T20 World Cup campaign. The forthcoming series will be a vital platform for his possible return to ODI cricket prior to the World Cup 2027, as he has been out of the international setup for almost four years. The selection committee’s recall is a major vote of confidence.
Performance in the 2026 IPL earns Bhuvneshwar Kumar a T20I recall
Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru an outstanding performance to end IPL 2026. With an economy rate of 7.95 at the end of the season, he took 28 wickets in 16 games to help RCB defend their title. After a protracted absence from international cricket, his impressive IPL campaign served as the foundation for his return to the T20I team.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken 90 wickets at an economy rate of 6.96 and an average of 23.10 in 87 Twenty20 Internationals. His track record in the shortest format shows that he is a skilled new-ball operator and death-overs bowler. Bhuvneshwar has taken 141 wickets at an average of 35.11 and an economy rate of 5.08 in 121 ODI cricket matches.
