Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has urged Bhuvneshwar Kumar to take a bit more risk with the ball in the third T20I against New Zealand, which will be played at Hnry Stadium, Wellington.
Kumar recently made a comeback to the team’s playing XI after four years but he hasn’t been able to hit the ground running.
However, the veteran seamer had a tough return, returning with figures of 0-49 in his quota of four overs in the opening game. The experienced campaigner then bagged 1-50 in his four overs in the second game against the Kiwis on Saturday.
Irfan Pathan said on Cricinfo, “What I saw in the first two games, Bhuvi is slightly shorter. Still a good length, around 7-7.5 meter mark, but guys like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they can afford to go slightly more fuller, depending on the kind of swing he’s getting. What happens when you play after a long period of time, your mindset becomes slightly defensive. He’s [anyways] not a very attacking bowler as far as the wicket-taking ability is concerned.
“The kind of wrist he has, the kind of swing he has, what I want him to do is to take a bit more risk, especially early on when he has a new ball,” Irfan went on to add.
Pathan admitted it is not easy for a player to hit the blocks when he is making a comeback after a long time.
“It’s not easy. Especially, you know that you have not played for many years for India. Obviously, you keep doing your work in the IPL, you keep performing really well. But that switch of playing for India at the top level and different pitches, if this was India, he would have been able to adjust it from the first match. But because you are playing overseas, you take time to adjust.”
The third T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Hnry Stadium, Wellington on Tuesday.
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