'Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs to seriously bring his pace back', says Salman Butt

01/29/2022

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Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has stated that Indian speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs to improve his pace in order to continue his fast bowling career. Butt further added that Bhuvneshwar doesn't have something extra-special to succeed, and Mohammed Siraj should replace him in Team India.

Team India recently suffered a 3-0 defeat in the three-match ODI series against South Africa. The Indian bowlers were totally outplayed by the South Africa batsmen, and following the series loss, the poor performance of the bowling unit opened doors for fuming debates among fans and experts.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who made his comeback in ODIs, leaked 64 and 67 runs in the two fixtures respectively, without taking a wicket. In the third ODI in Cape Town, Deepak Chahar replaced Bhuvneshwar, and the former scalped 2 wickets and scored 54 runs with the bat in the final fixture of the series.

Meanwhile, Salman Butt stated that Bhuvneshwar needs to improve his pace to continue his fast-bowling career for Team India. The former Pakistan captain further added that the Indian speedster doesn’t have something extra-special like Mohammad Asif to succeed.

“Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs to seriously bring his pace back. With a speed of 125-130, if you don't have something 'extra-special' like Mohammad Asif, or if you don't get the conditions that assist spin, you don't have a life as a fast bowler,” Butt said on his official YouTube channel.

After the second ODI against South Africa, India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant had stood up for Bhuvneshwar following the pacer's poor performance in the white-ball series. The former Pakistan batsman criticized the bowling tactics of Bhuvneshwar in South Africa.

“If the keeper is standing up for you in South Africa, what are you doing there as a fast bowler? Definitely, they need to move in a direction where they have wicket-taking options, where batsman have a fear in mind that the bowler is fast and that they can be hit. If you don't have speed, batsman doesn't have a second thought. He will attack you with confidence,” said Butt.

Butt further added that Mohammed Siraj should replace Bhuvneshwar in Team India.

“That is why Siraj is there. He was in the previous series as well but he didn't play a single game. He should be playing.”