‘We missed that’: Shreyas Iyer admits Bhuvneshwar Kumar is making a comeback

ByTech Word News

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shreyas Iyer (Image Agency) India captain Shreyas Iyer is looking forward to Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in the T20I squad as he believes the veteran pacer’s recent performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have shown his ability to excel in the shortest format.Bhuvneshwar could make his return to international cricket in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with the first match slated to be played in Christchurch. The comeback would come almost four years after his last appearance for India in the format, in November 2022.His much-anticipated return against West Indies at home was washed away by rain recently, leaving fans to wait a little longer to see the veteran swing bowler back in Indian colours.Since his last T20I appearance, Bhuvneshwar has enjoyed a resurgence with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), playing a key role in the franchise’s back-to-back IPL title triumphs in 2025 and 2026. During that period, he took 45 wickets in 31 matches at an average of 22.55 at an economy rate of 22.55.His most recent IPL campaign has been particularly impressive. Bhuvneshwar finished as the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament, picking up 28 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 17.89 and an economy rate of 7.95.Speaking to reporters ahead of the start of the T20I, Iyer highlighted the experience the 36-year-old will bring to an Indian bowling attack that has seen some new faces.“He brings a lot of experience to the team. And we missed that. Especially after the IPL. We had a lot of new bowlers. But in T20, if you see his career chart, he has won the IPL in the last two years. So he has a very good idea of ​​dominating the format,” Iyer said.Bhuvneshwar took 90 wickets in 87 T20Is for India at an average of 23.10. His record includes two five-wicket hauls and three four-wicket hauls.He is now 10 wickets away from becoming the fifth Indian bowler to take 100 T20I wickets, joining Arshdeep Singh (145), Jasprit Bumrah (126), Hardik Pandya (114) and Axar Patel (113).The seasoned pacer is also approaching another major career milestone. With 294 international wickets across formats, he needs six more to reach 300, a mark achieved by only 13 Indian bowlers so far. Achieving the milestone would make him the 14th Indian bowler overall and the ninth fast bowler in the country to do so.

Iyer expects a speed challenge in New Zealand

With the return of Bhuvneshwara Iyer, he expects the Indian batsmen to face a stern test from the New Zealand pace attack. He stressed the importance of adapting quickly to local conditions and using practice sessions to develop a clear plan.“Looking at the conditions here, fast bowling suits here. I’ve been here before and it’s not like the conditions are completely different. In England, when we played, they had wickets ready according to our batting. But on the day, nobody knows how the wicket will be. So we’ll try to acclimatise as soon as possible. And when we have a good training plan,” each individual said.