It has not been a good time for the Indian team in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa. They have lost both their matches so far and are now facing a do-or-die situation when they take on Temba Bavuma’s men in the third T20I.
In the second match at Cuttack, the Indian batting struggled to find any momentum and only Dinesh Karthik and his late flurry of boundaries saw India post 148. However, the biggest positive for India was the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The seasoned campaigner found a lot of seam and movement up front and accounted for the top three wickets in the South African batting order.
Such was his impact on the game that it gave India some hope for a brief period before a 64-run stand between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller powered the visitors as they breached the target in 18.2 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar the swing king is back 🔥#Bhuvi #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/7383fHIGEN
— Cricket Addictor (@AbdullahNeaz) June 12, 2022
Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Reeza Hendricks out with a perfect inswinger as the ball landed on a length and hooped back in to knock over the off stump. In the next over, he got the better of all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius with a knuckleball and then came back in his final over to Rassie van der Dussen with another in-ducker as he lost his off stump.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar ended with 3 wickets for 10 runs and South Africa struggled at 29 for three at the end of the powerplay. It was a great return to form for Bhuvneshwar Kumar as it was after 10 years, he picked up three wickets in the powerplay. A similar effort came against Pakistan in Bengaluru back in 2012.
Praising the efforts of the bowler, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar said it was awesome for India that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has returned to form ahead of the T20 World Cup that is slated to be held later this year in Australia.
"He was just brilliant. The white ball doesn't swing that much, in the air or off the surface, but he has got that capability. And that is why it was very good captaincy from Rishabh Pant to give him that third over in which he got a wicket as well. Because after that the ball wouldn't have moved that much as well and Bhuvneshwar would have been ineffective. But to have someone like him in Australia, where there will that little bit of more carry and bounce, I think that will be a huge plus," Gavaskar said.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/bIiYtwX
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