“Bhuvneshwar Kumar surprised me with how special he is”: RCB head coach Andy Flower

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru coaching staff huddled in a projector room and planned what lay ahead. As RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat took notes and hovered around the room, Mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik made a bold statement – much to the surprise of head coach Andy Flower. While the former Zimbabwean cricketer raised concerns about Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fitness, DK defiantly told the room, “Bhuvi, just for the record, I believe he is the best bowler India has after (Jasprit) Bumrah even today.” The statement took Flower by surprise, but Karthik stuck to his guns and added, “Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he is the best T20 player.”Two years of association and two titles later, Flower echoes the abundant – and “on the spot” – praise that Karthik bestowed on Bhuvi. So much so, Flower believes the success of the past two years would not have been possible without the sailor’s contribution.“Bhuvi has been outstanding in the last two seasons. And it’s arguable that we wouldn’t have achieved our success in the last two seasons at all if he hadn’t repeatedly produced performances under pressure like he did in the last two seasons,” Flower said during a virtual interaction after RCB joined Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to win back-to-back IPL trophies.In the last two IPL seasons, Bhuvi has taken a combined 45 wickets, including 28 this season. It is his best performance in IPL, coming close to his IPL 2016 (23 wickets) and IPL 2017 (26 wickets) scores. In the last two seasons, nobody has been as lethal as Bhuvi, with Prasidh Krishna (41 wickets) coming the closest. Among bowlers who have bowled at least 100 overs, his economy (8.55) is only marginally behind Noor Ahmed (8.27).He finished just one short of eventual Purple Cap winner Kagiso Rabada this season. The 36-year-old was more economical and averaged better than his Gujarat Titans rival, finishing with best figures of 4/23 against Mumbai Indians. The four wickets that day in Raipur were not small names either: Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma.“One of the privileged positions that Mo and I are in is that we watch training very closely. We’re very closely involved in every training session and it’s an absolute pleasure and a privilege to watch, for example, people like Virat (Kohli) train or Tim David’s strength or even Bhuvi’s mastery of his art. And I call it art because the control that he’s got out of his fingers and what he can do with the ball is really a joy to watch,” explained Flower, when talking about what Bhuvi brings to the table.“I admire him a lot. He’s developed that skill over the years. He’s kept himself fit. If you look at last night as an example, the ball didn’t swing as much and he used that surprising bouncer to great effect.”“So I guess he surprised me a little bit with his skill level, his composure under pressure, his competitiveness and the positive effect he has on everyone around him. You know, whether it’s in a pre-season meeting, a briefing or on the practice field.”“And certainly in the middle, where he affects the people around him, not just with his words, but with his behavior and his actions. That’s incredibly impressive and I was surprised by how special he is,” Flower continued.On Sunday, RCB defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after an all-round shower of bowlers restricted the Shubman Gill-led side. Virat Kohli led the chase with an unbeaten 75 runs from 42 balls, including hitting the winning runs.