Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be a certainity in India's squad for T20 World Cup: Cheteshwar Pujara
India Today
Cheteshwar Pujara has said that Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be a part of the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Pujara also said that the Indian pacer doesn't need a complete rest before the tournament and should be given enough gametime.
Cheteshwar Pujara has claimed that there shouldn't be a doubt regarding Bhuvneshwar Kumar being a part of the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Kumar has been in great form this year in the shortest format of the game and bowled a magnificent spell against Afghanistan during the Asia Cup where he picked up five wickets for just four runs to help India win the match.
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Pujara hailed the Indian pacer as a top quality bowler and said that he will be part of the squad travelling to Australia for the World Cup. He also said that India can afford to bowl Kumar in the powerplay since Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel will be there for the death overs.
"I think he is a top quality bowler. There shouldn't be any doubt about him being part of the World Cup squad and, especially in Australia, he should be part of the playing eleven as well. I know Arshdeep is bowling really well, but after the performance against Afghanistan, we can afford to bowl him three overs in the powerplay if we need to, because we have Bumrah and we have Harshal Patel, who can bowl at the death," said Pujara.
Talking about managing Kumar's workload, Pujara said that the Indian pacer doesn't need a complete and should be given gametime so that he can maintain his form and rhythm.
"I think considering there is a big World Cup coming, we would still play him but try and make sure that he doesn't play all the games. Maybe, out of three important games, he just plays the first two and if India is ahead or have won the first two games, he can be rested in the third one. Same in the next series as well. I don't think he needs a complete break. It is important for him to stay in the rhythm, stay the way he has been bowling. And he needs match practice. I understand that there is a lot of workload if he was playing red-ball cricket. But he is just playing white-ball cricket. I still feel that if he gets a few more games before the World Cup it will help him," said Pujara.
