After How Many Days Did Bhuvneshwar Kumar Pick Up A T20I Wicket For India?

Abhinav Tyagi

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picks up a wicket for India - (Source: AFP)

On Saturday, October 24, India and New Zealand locked horns for the 2nd T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. India, bowling first, handed the new ball to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had a terrible return in the 1st T20I.

Bhuvneshwar, who was out of the scheme of things since 2022, marked his return in the 1st T20I. The return turned anticlimactic because the RCB star leaked 49 runs in his four overs and didn’t take a wicket.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar Ends Wait For T20I Wicket

Bhuvi’s wait for his first wicket in four years ended in the 2nd T20I when he got rid of Daryl Mitchell. In his 2nd over of the match, Bhuvi bowled a slower delivery that tricked Mitchell, and he handed an easy catch to Tilak Varma.

Notably, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first wicket for India in 1434 days. His last wicket for India was in November 2022 in New Zealand, when he got Finn Allen out. Notably, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a knuckle delivery to earn his maiden scalp in a while in Indian colours.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar Opens Up On His Return To The Indian Team

As mentioned above, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a brilliant IPL and UPT20 league, which helped him earn a return to the Indian team. The right-arm seamer was RCB's leading wicket-taker with 28 wickets and he took 14 wickets in UPT20 league.

In the latest events, Bhuvi opened up on the opportunity and stated that he doesn't take things for granted.

“Apni country ko represent karne se bada pride bahut hi kam hota hai. I am getting that again, so really happy. Jis headspace mein hu (usme) bahut simple hai, koi expectation nahi hai mujhe khud se. I think that’s how things worked out for me in the last 3-4 years. Koi expectation nahi hai, just keep doing your work," Bhuvneshwar said.

Talking about the ongoing match, at the time of writing this article, New Zealand are 74/3 after 11.2 overs and Bhuvneshwar has leaked 32 runs in 2 overs with a solitary wicket to his name.