Bhuvneshwar back in Indian team after 4 years: Did Agarkar’s departure make the difference?

The reason that became Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s undoing when Chetan Sharma’s selection committee dropped him like a hot potato in 2022 is the very reason he will be back in national colors in 2026.

Bhuvneshwar – or Bhuvi to his teammates and acquaintances – knows how to swing a white cherry. Now, boasts a big comeback when everyone in the Indian cricket ecosystem wrote his epitaph.

It was believed that at the ripe old age of 36, there couldn’t be a national comeback in a format that was meant for Gen Z. But here was a millennial ready to show the world that there are skills that can’t just be learned on the job and take years to master.

There are those inch perfect outswingers who would swerve just enough at the last minute with the intention of kissing the outside edge of the willow. Then there were sudden slicers that would cut the batter in half when he half expected one to come back.

Bhuvneshwar is a product of Meerut, the land of Indian red ball factory Sanspareils and Greenlands (SG), which produces these shiny red balls with a distinctive stitch.

Before Bhuvi, it was Praveen Kumar who made Meerut’s swing bowlers famous, telling anyone who would listen that “Meerut ke hawaa mein hi baat kuch hai” (there’s something in the Meerut air).

That ‘lahrati huyi gaaend’ (ball that sways and swings) was Bhuvneshwar’s art and he was a master craftsman.

45 wickets in two successful Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons (2025 and 2026) RCB brought Bhuvneshwar back into the limelight. Just as it was Virat Kohli or Krunal Pandya who did the heavy lifting, it was Bhuvneshwar who actually anchored the campaign with these incisive spells.

When he was beaten by Alex Hales and Jos Buttler in the semi-final of the WT20 in Adelaide in 2022, Bhuvneshwar did not look like he had dropped the pace and the swing was virtually absent. The next trip was to New Zealand and he looked even more disheveled, and it was considered the end of the road when the new short-form speed merchants appeared.

After Ajit Agarkar became chairman of selectors, his philosophy was to look to the future. Although many expected Bhuvneshwar Kumar to return, the former Mumbai fast bowler had other ideas. Of course, some of his fellow selectors disagreed, including Rudra Pratap Singh, who had earlier shared the new ball with Bhuvneshwar and hailed from Rae Bareli.

However, RP did not find much support until Agarkar was around. Once he was gone, things loosened up and a much-deserved comeback took place.

What stood out about Bhuvneshwar was his quiet demeanor and admirable work ethic. No declarations were made; there was no “platinum victim card” he wore as a badge of honor. He just did what he had to do – worked on his skills. He played white ball games for UP where he was a shining light for the young bowlers.

But IPL and RCB became his playground and he was out there doing his job. Swinging the dough out for fun. He did not make a statement. Bhuvneshwar the laborer was just doing his job.

And now he really made it big. Watching Bhuvneshwar’s comeback, the former Indian player and BCCI official quipped, “If Bhuvneshwar has arrived, can Mohammed Shami be far behind?”.

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