Sunil Gavaskar, who once led the Indian team, has highly praised Bhuvneshwar Kumar, suggesting he will be a game-changer for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup. In the second T20I against the Proteas, where India suffered a four-wicket defeat, Bhuvneshwar was the only player to truly shine. He delivered an outstanding performance, finishing with 4/13 in four overs, proving his worth while filling the void left by the absent Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami.
Gavaskar was impressed by the bowler's exceptional skill, noting that Bhuvneshwar can perform effectively even when the conditions don't provide much natural swing for the white ball. The legendary cricketer believes that having a player of his caliber will be a significant advantage in Australia, as the typical bounce and carry of those pitches will suit his style of bowling perfectly.
Graeme Smith, the former captain of South Africa, also shared his admiration for the Indian pacer. The 41-year-old noted the technical precision Bhuvneshwar used to get rid of Dwaine Pretorius and Reeza Hendricks. He highlighted a perfect in-swinger that bowled Hendricks and a clever knuckleball that outsmarted Pretorius.
With phenomenal execution and tight control, Bhuvneshwar has now climbed to become India's third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, with a total of 63 wickets. He will be aiming to maintain this peak form as India tries to recover and win the third T20I today in Visakhapatnam.