Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth has noted that Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling is lacking zip amid the T20I series against New Zealand. Kumar is playing for India after a long gap of four years and he hasn’t been able to hit the ground running against New Zealand.
Bhuvneshwar returned with figures of 0-40 in his quota of four overs against the Kiwis in the third T20I. The veteran seamer’s pace was down and he also failed to swing the ball. In the first two games of the series, Kumar had taken a soltiary wicket and also proved expensive.
The UP seamer has conceded his runs at an economy rate of 11.58 in the series so far.
Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “I am not sure what is wrong with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His pace is low and I am not sure what has happened to him. His ball is lacking any zip and is reaching the batter like a harmless flower,” Srikkanth said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“In the IPL, he bowled with such great zip,” Srikkanth said.
Kumar bagged 28 wickets in 16 matches of IPL 2026 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and played a key role in taking the franchise to glory.
Meanwhile, Kumar earlier credited his family for all the support after his return to the national colors.
“Family, I know there isn’t much to say about family, but credit goes to them as well. I think it would be surprising for many that we didn’t even once, for a single day, talk about a comeback to the Indian team,” Bhuvneshwar said in a BCCI video.
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday.
