Veteran Indian batter Hanuma Vihari opened up on 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the New Zealand tour. The veteran pacer made an international comeback after four years, being named in the T20I squad for the New Zealand series as well. However, Hanuma Vihari reckoned that Bhuvneshwar would eventually make it to the ODI World Cup team and travel to South Africa as well. He shared that the Indian team required experience in the bowling unit and that he could make a difference.

“I think the World Cup dream for him is still alive. This is the right time to bring him back. Now it is New Zealand, and South Africa is the next destination for him. I am not saying all this because he is my personal favorite, but Team India needs experience and that is where he will make the difference,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back. He is going directly to New Zealand. I think this is just the start. He will not be limited to T20s. He will definitely be there in the 50-over World Cup too. Whoever selected him, credit to them. Experience will count. The World Cup is in South Africa. It will definitely count. This is the first step. It is clear that there is a flaw in the bowling right now,” he shared.

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However, Hanuma Vihari opined on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s importance and the role that he can play. He said that the pacer not only came in with experience but would also add to the strength of the bowling unit as well.

“Going into the World Cup, you need experience and that is why Bhuvneshwar is really important. India’s bowling is strengthened a lot with his return. I think his bowling with the new ball made the difference in the IPL. RCB was always about batting. But with Bhuvi, and the rest of the bowling attack, they won back-to-back championships. Credit to him. He did not give up. He kept pursuing, he kept striving, he kept working hard and bowling tough overs and kept taking wickets to get here,” he said.

“Many are asking why not bring Shami also back. The difference between Bhuvneshwar and Shami is that, I have seen in the IPL, Bhuvneshwar will give value with the new ball and that’s where India is lacking right now. Who are the new ball bowlers? Siraj? Arshdeep has not cracked it in ODIs. Bumrah is Bumrah, but with Bhuvneshwar, his strength will also increase. Then you have enough backup for the middle overs. Bhuvneshwar is your specialist new ball bowler,” he concluded.