Bhuvi's Return Under Scrutiny After Auckland T20 Defeat

India's bowling woes continued in the fourth T20I against New Zealand, as the visitors went down by 87 runs at Auckland on Friday. The defeat came without the services of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was left out of the playing XI.

Bhuvneshwar was making a comeback to the Indian team after four years. However, his performances in the first three T20Is of the series were underwhelming, leading to Mayank Yadav getting a chance in his place for the fourth match.

Akash Chopra, a former India opening batter and respected cricket commentator, has now questioned the manner of Bhuvneshwar's return. According to him, the comeback has not met the standards that fans and management expect.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said that Prasidh Krishna had missed out on the ODI squad due to injury and that Bhuvneshwar had not been picked for the 50-over side either. He added that the seamer had leaked so many runs in the first three T20Is that doubts had started to surface about his return. “Keeping him out of the XI in the fourth game has only deepened those doubts,” Chopra remarked. “Bhuvi's comeback has not been what Indian fans were hoping for.”

India's bowling was ineffective in the fourth match too. The hosts conceded 259 runs. Chasing 260, India could manage only 172 and lost the match by 87 runs.

If Bhuvneshwar Kumar does not feature in the fifth T20I, his international T20 career could face serious questions.

The fifth T20I is scheduled for November 1 in Hamilton. India hold an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series. New Zealand will aim to take the final match and bring the series to 3-2, while India will be looking to finish the series 4-1.