Former Indian cricketer and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik has expressed his views on the veteran Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to international cricket.
Bhuvneshwar returned to the bowling crease in the first T20I of the five-game series against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday, October 22. However, he looked a bit rusty and bowled no-balls, which didn’t go down well with Karthik.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik stated that the seamer might be a little nervous, adding that the no-ball proved to be a bit costly for the bowler. However, he requested fans to be patient with the veteran seamer.
“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.
Further, the former keeper-batter advised Bhuvneshwar to ensure the no-balls do not become a recurring issue. Notably, Bhuvi returned with the figures of 0/49 in four overs in his first international game since November 2022.
“A lot of fans may be critical, but it’s his first day back in international cricket. So cut him some slack. But he has to be aware that no-balls are not a habit he wants to develop. He knows he’s better than that. But was he as good as he could be? Definitely not,” he concluded.
