Bhuvneshwar Kumar Gets A Supporter In Dinesh Karthik After Poor Outing On Comeback vs NZ

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a poor outing on comeback [Source: AFP]

RCB batting coach, Dinesh Karthik, reckons Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was making his comeback to the Indian team after four years, was nervous, and hence, he couldn’t deliver his best performance in the first T20I against New Zealand.

There was a sense of optimism when Bhuvneshwar was announced in the Indian squad for the New Zealand T20Is, but on his comeback, he couldn’t do much and failed to take a single wicket.

Dinesh Karthik defends Bhuvneshwar Kumar's lacklustre performance

The Indian seamer, who was playing his first T20I game since 2022, looked a bit rusty, as the sharpness was missing from his bowling, which the world witnessed in the IPL 2026.

In the first T20I, the pacer also delivered his first-ever no-ball in this format, and Karthik feels Bhuvneshwar was nervous on his comeback as he defended RCB's main pacer.

“It was the no-balls that did him in. He’s not somebody who generally bowls no-balls. I am not sure why, but it may have been a bit of nerves,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“Two no-balls in a game is unheard of for him. So I would put it down to the fact that he’s not as ready as he would want to be. But if we look closely, his first and last overs were very good. However, the second and third overs had no-balls in it and that reflects in his analysis, as those were huge overs,” he added.

A night to forget for Bhuvneshwar as he created unwanted history

In a high-scoring first T20I match, Bhuvneshwar went for plenty as the right-arm seamer conceded 49 runs in four overs, with an economy rate of 12.25. He bowled a superb first over, but the fast bowler fell flat in the subsequent three overs.

Moreover, the pacer created an unwanted feat as his figures of 4 overs for 49 runs became the second-most expensive spell of his T20I career.

His most expensive T20I figures came up against Australia in 2022, when he conceded 52 runs without taking a single wicket. Interestingly, his third most expensive figures were against the Kiwis in 2019, when he conceded 47 runs and took just a solitary wicket.

He’ll be eager to rectify the mistakes in the second T20I as the two teams will collide at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Saturday, October 24.