Why Bhuvneshwar Kumar is right to ignore India's comeback hysteria

Conversations about the comeback of Indian cricket usually follow a familiar pattern. One strong IPL season, several winning performances, TV panels start debating the options, former cricketers start publicly endorsing the players and social media turns every team announcement into a voter referendum. It happened with Mohammed Shami after the Champions Trophy. This has happened to several older players over the years. And now as IPL 2026 reaches its business end, the spotlight shifted firmly to Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Only this time, the man in the middle of the noise seems completely separate from him. Imagine leading the Purple Cap race, producing match-winning spells against some of the best batting line-ups in the tournament and hearing respected voices openly pushing for your return to India – yet refusing to turn it into a personal mission. That has been the most striking part of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s revival this season.

While the cricketing world keeps building a comeback story around him, Bhuvneshwar himself has remained grounded.

“I don’t think about India coming back. It’s been many years since I stopped keeping or giving long-term goals because whenever I did, it never worked for me,” Bhuvneshwar said in a video released by RCB.

Not the usual response that modern cricket produces. Careers today are built on constant planning – the next ICC event, the next team, the next opportunity. Every strong IPL season is immediately associated with greater international conversation. But Bhuvneshwar sounds like a cricketer who has stopped measuring fulfillment by selection alone.

And maybe that’s why he’s looked so good this season.

SECOND WIND

at 36, Bhuvneshwar is bowling with the freedom of someone who no longer feels the need to prove anything. The new ball movement is back. Death control is back. As well as clarity in execution.

This IPL has been a reminder that T20 cricket is still not all about pace and intimidation. It still comes down to skill, angles and awareness of the game. Few Indian seamen over the years have understood these aspects better than Bhuvneshwar.

He still shapes the ball late, still forces batsmen into awkward positions and still finds ways to break partnerships without relying on raw pace. The numbers reflect this recovery. With 21 wickets in 11 matches, Bhuvneshwar has been central to Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s strong campaign and their push for the play-offs. Bhuvi has been instrumental in RCB’s form this season (Courtesy: PTI)

But off the wickets, it is the control he has brought to bear at various stages of the innings that stands out.

India’s white-ball attack is still troubled behind Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh. Managing Bumrah’s workload remains a major factor ahead of the ODI World Cup in 2027. Arshdeep has had an inconsistent IPL season. Harshit Rana was being groomed before injury halted his progress earlier this year. Others on the fringes showed promise without fully convincing.

This is why the comeback talk around Bhuvneshwar has gained momentum so quickly. Not because of nostalgia, but because the skill set still fits.

Ravichandran Ashwin backed the idea after Bhuvneshwar’s four-wicket spell against Mumbai Indians in Raipur. Ian Bishop also recently included him in an alternative India T20 team discussion on ESPNCricinfo.

India have often looked for a seamer who can command both ends of a T20 innings – strike early and still execute under pressure at the death. Bhuvneshwar built his career on exactly that.

DILEMMA OF CHOICES

However, the conversation is more complex than just a form of reward. India’s T20 planning now stretches towards the 2028 Olympics and the next T20 World Cup to be held that year. By then, Bhuvneshwar will be 38. For a fast bowler with a history of injuries, this naturally makes the selectors wary.

Bhuvneshwar himself seems to understand this reality better than anyone else. He has been through every stage of an international career – the rise as India’s leading swing bowler, the years when he was indispensable across formats, the recurring injuries, the criticism surrounding his declining pace and finally the transition to the younger fast bowlers.

Most players struggle with this final phase. Bhuvneshwar seems to have accepted it.

“I am happy that there are 200 games, there are so many goals, there is a power play, there is death. I think it is all a reward for what I have done over the years. There have been good years and bad years,” he said.

There is perspective in those words, not frustration.

Indian cricket has seen career-ending comebacks before. Ashish Nehra remains a clear example. Dropped out of India’s T20 plans after 2010, Nehra made a comeback at the age of almost 37 for the 2016 T20 World Cup and emerged as one of India’s most reliable bowlers in the tournament. Bhuvneshwar fits a similar mold – experienced, skill-driven and calm under pressure.

But cricket in 2026 is tougher on aging fast bowlers than it was a decade ago. Schedules are tighter. Recovery time is shorter. Team management plans further ahead.

That’s why comparisons to Dinesh Karthik’s comeback in 2022 only go so far. India then needed a specialist finisher immediately before the World Cup. Fast bowling requires a different level of physical confidence.

Which leaves Bhuvneshwar in an interesting space – good enough to remain part of the discussion, but unlikely to be central to India’s long-term plans unless another exceptional season forces a re-evaluation.

PEACE WHERE THEY STAND

Perhaps the most revealing thing Bhuvneshwar has said this season has nothing to do with selection.

“Since I stopped playing for the country, the best thing is that I have a lot of breaks after the IPL. I play enough cricket to stay in touch and also have enough time for other things,” he said.

That probably explains this recovery better than any statistic. Bhuvneshwar is using his break from cricket to rejuvenate and be ready (Courtesy: PTI)

Bhuvneshwar’s career has been interrupted by injuries for years. The busy calendar of international cricket rarely allowed him enough time to recover properly. Without the constant cycle, he now looks fresher, sharper and mentally lighter.

There is an irony in that. Retiring from international cricket may have helped to keep him as a T20 bowler. And that’s what makes this stage so refreshing. There is no desperation to be seen in it. No campaign attempt for one final chapter. He simply bowls well, enjoys cricket and keeps the conversation going.

Whether India calls him back or not will depend on timing, fitness and the direction the team wants to take. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar no longer sounds that insecure. For someone who has spent years dragging India’s attack with the white ball, this peace may matter more than another comeback headline ever could.

– The end

Published on:

13 May 2026 10:49 IST