IND vs SA | Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling effort hampered SA's run-chase, says Kris Srikkanth
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Kris Srikkanth has asserted that it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s superb display of 5/24 in the first T20I against the Proteas in Johannesburg that hampered the hosts' batting lineup during their chase. He also said that Bhuvneshwar’s variations with knuckleball make him more lethal than any other bowler.
Barring the ODI series, where Bhuvneshwar remained relatively quiet claiming just two wickets in five games, the seam bowler has been rampaging in the other formats. While he took a staggering 10 wickets in four innings during the Test series, it was his brilliant five-
Apart from Shikhar Dhawan’s blazing innings with the bat, it was India’s brilliant bowling display that helped India to a narrow 28-run victory on a batting-friendly Wanderers track. And Srikkanth has hailed Bhuvneshwar for leading the charge stating that his brilliant four overs that mainly "hampered" the South Africans while chasing.
"The key architect of India’s superb victory in the first T20 is undoubtedly Bhuvneshwar Kumar. What I like about him are his ability to deliver in two critical phases of a T20 match - the Powerplay and the death overs. Those are the times when batsmen really set themselves up to have a go at the bowlers. A glance at the scoreboard in the last T20 would indicate that the South African batsmen had taken on every Indian bowler except Bhuvneshwar, who is one of the deadliest T20 bowlers going around in world cricket at the moment. It was his effort with the ball which hampered the opposition during the chase," wrote Kris Srikkanth on his TOI column.
Bhuvneshwar claimed the wickets of Jon-Jon Smuts and Jean-Paul Duminy in the first six overs, leaving the hosts plummeting at 48/2 in the power play overs. He returned in the 18th over to haunt them again as he clinched three quick wickets of Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen and Chris Morris, putting the final nail in the coffin.
Bhuvneshwar’s success in being a mainstay across all the three formats for India has mainly stemmed from his ability to swing the ball both ways without a massive change in his action. Over the years, he has become a lethal bowler for the side with his ability to bring different variations with his knuckleball deliveries.
"What makes Bhuvi lethal? He has got a fantastic
"With Bhuvi, it's not just about curbing runs. He is a wicket-taker at different junctures of a contest as was evident in the opening game where he claimed two wickets in his first spell and then halted the progress of the South African middle order bagging three wickets in an over in the end. Picking wickets in T20s
South Africa have not been able to put pressure on India since their loss in the third Test at the hands of the visitors. They have been marred by injuries and some below-par performances by their senior players.
