In the recently concluded Asia Cup, Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave away 19 and 14 runs against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the 19th over in pressure situations. He also leaked 19 runs in the 19th over against Australia at a game in Mohali. Should India continue to rely on him to bowl in the end overs?
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Harbhajan Singh says time has come for Rohit Sharma to finish Bhuvneshwar’s overs early.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar doesn’t have that pace. The yorkers have to be pacy; the bowlers who do that escape. Bhuvneshwar is a smart bowler but we have seen in the last 2-3 series that he gives lots of runs in the end. It would be better if his overs are finished before 16 overs. So that Mohammad Shami and Arshdeep Singh can do the last four overs,” Harbhajan told Geo Sports.
Harbhajan said if the conditions are conducive, Bhuvneshwar can be even bowled out right at the start.
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“He can even be given four overs straight at the top if the ball moves a bit. That’s the best use of him: with the new ball. If he can take out the wicket of either Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s best two batsmen, or both, he has done his job,” Harbhajan said.
Aquib Javed, former Pakistan bowler, reckons Bhuvneshwar can trouble Pakistan’s top order.
“Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar are very good seam bowlers. Pakistan’s team will face difficulty because it will be tough to score runs against them… Shami is a very good seam bowler when he gets assistance from the pitch and Bhuvneshwar is one of the best in seaming conditions,” Javed told Pak TV.
