Former Indian batter and analyst Mohammad Kaif has asserted that the veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar forced the Indian selectors to call him back, thanks to his exceptional IPL performances for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Bhuvneshwar delivered a stellar performance for RCB in IPL 2025 and IPL 2026, playing a key role in back-to-back title victories and earning a recall to the Indian national team. While he scalped 17 wickets in IPL 2025, he picked up 28 wickets in the most recent season.
“In these four years, he has taken 72 wickets in the IPL. This is after being dropped. He forced the selectors to make this call. He has shown that he still has that swing and all the skills. His pace has also gone up. I think any true Indian cricket fan would be very happy with this comeback,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
Further, the former Indian cricketer stated that the trend of not giving old players a comeback to the national team has been broken, crediting the Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir. He also shared his views on Mohammed Shami, who is awaiting his comeback.
“I feel even Shami would be proud of Bhuvi’s comeback. Agarkar set a trend that we will not look at old players. That was his thinking. Right or wrong is a different thing. Now there is someone new. And this is the right thinking. I am sure Shreyas Iyer and Gambhir also have a role in this comeback. I am sure selectors would have spoken to them. So if the old trend is broken, why can’t Shami come back? He can too,” he added.
Mohammed Shami last played for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand in March 2025.
