Bhuvneshwar Kumar
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From Sports.NDTV
FULL NAME Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh
BORN February 5, 1990 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
BATTING STYLE Right Handed
BOWLING Right-arm medium
BOWLING RANK Test - 37, ODI - 23, World Cup - 23, T20I - 82
TEAMS PLAYED India, Central Zone, India A, India Blue, Bangalore, Uttar Pradesh, Pune, Hyderabad
MAN OF THE MATCH Tests - 0, ODIs - 3, World Cups - 0, T20Is - 0, IPLs - 5, CLs - 0,
CAREER SPAN [Test, 2013 - 2017], [ODI, 2012 - 2017], [World Cup, 2015], [T20I, 2012 - 2017], [IPL, 2011 - 2017], [CL, 2009], and continuing
Not many bowlers begin their career as well as Bhuvneshwar Kumar did for India. He struck in his very first over in both ODIs and T20Is, both against Pakistan in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Kumar is well renowned for his ability to swing the ball both ways.
Champions Trophy, 2017
Partha Bhaduri, The Times of India, Jun 17 2017
The Reinvention Of India's Key Pacer Has Paid Off Immensely
One man, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has been two-thirds of the Indian bowling attack in England.
The soft-spoken, affable, almost unassuming pacer from Meerut has displayed rare smarts and keen adaptability under trying circumstances for bowlers in this Champions Trophy .
Primarily known as a swing bowler with middling pace who can thrive with the red ball in the right conditions, Bhuvneshwar has in recent years added dimensions to his game.
In this tournament, the white ball hasn't swung and the pitches have been harder. Bhuvneshwar has made his mark by adding a layer of pace and also deft variations, acquiring the skill to cleverly alter his lengths, bowl nagging lines and apply the slow choke early on in the innings. The batsman is left gasping for runs and desperate to break through, making him vulnerable to a rash stroke.
Following the defeat to Sri Lanka, captain Virat Kohli's decision to hand the new ball to Jasprit Bumrah to partner the wily Bhuvneshwar in a clever inversion of India's usual death-bowling pair has added fresh impetus to the attack.
Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav, who rely primarily on pace and swing, have been left cooling their heels as Bhuvi and Bumrah ply their trade in knuckle balls, slower balls, yorkers and subtle variations in length.
Their success has allowed the spinners some leeway on these flat surfaces. Bhuvi, in particular, has carried his younger partner along and asked difficult questions of the batsmen. Sabbir Rehman during the game against Bangladesh, and Hashim Amla and De Kock in the South Africa match, will vouch for Bhuvi's new `strike-bowler' skills.
“It is difficult bowling in these conditions,“ Bhuvneshwar said after the game against South Africa.“The only thing you have to change is length. Everyone is bowling a bit `back' compared to what they usually bowl. Generally we always go for wickets in the first 10 overs when the ball swings, but now we look to contain them and then take wickets when the pressure builds.“
While that could also explain the success of the subcontinental teams in this Champions Trophy, Bhuvi 2.0 has been in the making for a while.Back in the 2015 World Cup, it was Bhuvneshwar, and not Umesh or Shami, who was warming the benches more often. Days earlier, d u r i n g I n d i a 's lengthy four-Test tour of Australia in 2014-15, Bhuvi had seemed a spent force. He subsequently worked on his fitness, tried to add some pace not always smoothly and came back a different bowler.
Among the four lead pacers in India's Champions Trophy squad Bumrah, Umesh, Shami and Bhuvi it was Bhuvi who had the most IPL wickets this time, 26 from 14 games, at an economy rate of 7.05 and a strike rate of 12.07. He has been in prime form heading to England, a place usually hospitable to his skills, allowing him to reprise his 2013 Champions Trophy performance.
Dot balls have played a big role in his act: 17 against Pakistan, 30 against Sri Lanka, 28 against South Africa and 37 against Bangladesh.The most Bhuvi has conceded in his first spell of five overs has been 29, against Bangladesh, but he also bagged two wickets in that spell.
“Bhuvneshwar has been outstanding and always very consistent,“ said Kohli. “Especially in the last two games, both Bhuvi and Bumrah have been terrific initially and in the later stages as well.Their wicket-taking ability is something the opposition knows, so they are a lw ay s c a re f u l about going hard against these two guys.“
