Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the Indian Premier League final between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. (AP)
NEW DELHI: As Bhuvneshwar Kumar runs in, the batters have no fear of being hit. Aiming in the 130km/h range, he usually hits more of a length, but it is the swing – his main art – that has struck fear into batsmen over the years.Hailing from the Meerut fast-bowling gharana (school) – with Praveen Kumar as its most renowned ustaad (artist) – Bhuvneshwar Kumar is wired to bowl and make the ball dance to his tunes. He never relied on raw pace to unsettle the batsmen or strike fear into their minds; his art lies in subtle movement, not intimidation.The 35-year-old, who played 21 Tests, 121 ODIs and 87 T20Is, picked up 294 international wickets and played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ending an 18-year Indian Premier League (IPL) title drought. Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up 17 wickets in IPL 2025. The medium pacer is a certified IPL legend with 198 scalps to his credit at an excellent economy of 7.69 in 190 matches.TimesofIndia.com caught up with Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the sidelines of the event, where the bowler opened up with rare clarity about the future of swing bowling, why workload management is misunderstood, how young pacers should think and why Test cricket will soon become a conscious career choice.excerpts…
Is swing bowling a dying art in India?
No, I don’t think so. And it’s not because I’m still an active cricketer. There are many pitchers who have this skill. You might not know their names yet because they haven’t played for India. I haven’t worked with anyone on a personal level, but I’m sure there are a lot of bowlers at Under-19 level – players, even if I don’t know them yet – who are good bowlers.In cricket we say things like swing bowling is a dying art but in reality it never happens. Someone bursts into the scene and needs a platform to showcase their skills – be it the IPL or the Indian team – so that fans know about that individual. So I’m sure there are many people who can swing the ball both ways.
If I want to teach someone, I can’t teach them.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the swing of bowling
Does swing bowling come naturally to you?
I think it was natural. If I want to teach someone, I can’t teach them. (I don’t think I can teach anyone). Of course I can tell them the basics needed to swing the ball. But there is no guarantee that the ball will swing.There are some things in cricket – be it batting, bowling or other skills – that come naturally to a certain extent. You can then refine or polish them.
Lucknow: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivers a delivery during the IPL 2025 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)
Your career has been ravaged by injuries. What is your opinion on workload management and what advice would you give to a starting pitcher?
I think workload management is a very important aspect in cricket – but not at Under-19 level. Because if you teach an under-19 player what workload is, I don’t think they get to the level where they understand their body’s threshold.Workload is important for players who play in all formats for a country. Those who play year-round need load management. Domestic cricket is played over six months; in the second half, the players train and play local matches, but get enough time to rest.
If there is a pitcher in your team then you would want him to not get hurt, of course he is not a machine, you can change parts of a machine but the human body cannot work like that.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar on workload management
This loadout concept is for players who play all year round – especially those who represent India in all formats.If there is a pitcher in your team then you would want him not to get hurt, of course he is not a machine, you can change parts of a machine but the human body cannot work like that. (If you have a pitcher on your team, you’d definitely want him to stay injury-free. He’s not a machine—even machines let you replace parts, but the human body doesn’t work that way.)If a player gets injured, it takes time to come back, rehabilitation takes time, it takes time to regain confidence. (If a player gets injured, it takes time to come back, time to rehabilitate, and time to regain full confidence.)So the workload is important to keep your best bowlers injury free, to maintain their form and rhythm for a long time.
AHMEDABAD, INDIA – JUNE 03: Bhuvneshwar Kumar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrates with teammate Krunal Pandya after dismissing Nehal Wadhera of Punjab Kings during the IPL 2025 final match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmed on June 03, 2025 (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Why do pitchers take longer to return from injury than batsmen? Is it a mental block?
It can be said that the body of a batsman and a bowler is a bit different. But it’s definitely not a mental block. The charge of a batsman and a bowler is different. The body’s tolerance is very different. If you are a pitcher, there is a lot of stress on the body and not so much on the batter.So even if a batsman is 90% fit, he can cope. But if a bowler is 90% fit, we still say he is not 10% fit. There is another way to see it. Fast bowling takes a toll on the body so you need more than 100% fitness. It’s not a mental block – just two very different skills and two very different bodies.
Playing these leagues is not a shortcut. I think this is the way forward
Bhvneshwar Kumar on the new ecosystem in cricket
Do youngsters today prefer state T20 and IPL leagues and are looking for a shortcut to represent India?
When I started playing, Ranji Trophy was the platform. If you do well in Ranji Trophy, you will play Duleep Trophy and then India. (When I started playing, the platform was Ranji Trophy. If you played well there, you played Duleep Trophy and from there you got into the Indian team.)However, playing these leagues is not a shortcut. I think this is the way forward. If you do well in the state T20 league, you will get a chance in the IPL. If you do well in IPL, you can perform at the international level.But if you are not playing first-class cricket, it is very difficult to play Test cricket. You can play T20s, you can play one-day cricket, but if you want to play Tests for your country. If you want to be a part of the Indian team, you have to play first-class cricket.
New Chandigarh: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Bhuvneshwar Kumar celebrates the wicket of Prabhsimran Singh of Punjab Kings during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Qualifier 1 cricket match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in New Chandigarh. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary) (PTI05_29_2025_000358A)
Bowling sea is also a form of exercise. If your body is not used to such a load, then even if you are selected for the test team, you will not survive physically. I’m not talking about skills, you won’t survive physically.Going forward I think players will have to decide whether they want to play Test cricket or not. I’m sure it will happen. Many players decide they don’t want to play the longer format or even 50-over cricket – they only want to play T20 because it’s a shorter format. It will happen, but it depends on what the player wants.
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