India coach explains Bhuvneshwar's return to T20I squad
India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak believes the return of experienced seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the New Zealand series can provide valuable experience.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s form in the IPL over the past two seasons, coupled with the conditions India are likely to encounter in their upcoming assignments, may have played a role in the selectors’ decision to bring him back into the squad, in the eyes of India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
The 36-year-old has 90 wickets from 87 T20Is, but his last appearance in the shortest format came in November 2022, also against New Zealand.
“In England, I also personally felt that with Bumrah not being around and all the new bowlers, like young bowlers, were playing.
“We all know that you can't beat experience. They are also performing well and getting selected, but at some stage you also need some experience. I am just thinking that might be one reason.
“Another thing is Bhuvaneshwar has been doing really well in IPL for the last two seasons.
"So, the selectors must have thought that for New Zealand conditions and all. And obviously, he has been doing well, and we need some experience.”
Kotak was speaking ahead of India’s second T20I against West Indies, with the team continuing to manage the workload of its senior players while also giving opportunities to emerging talent.
India currently lead the series 1-0, thanks to Shreyas Iyer’s stunning maiden T20I century in the series opener.
Kotak said that while such rotation can occasionally come at the cost of results, India have enough depth to ensure that their performances do not suffer significantly.
“Some games, we are not playing Bumrah, giving him rest. Some games, some other senior players also not playing.
"So, obviously, any team in the world will require bench strength and somewhere and somewhere you have to give them chances.
“So, sometimes results do suffer, but normally I think we have enough strong bench strength that our results also don't suffer as much.”
India and the West Indies will square off in the second T20I on Friday, October 9, in Ranchi.
Series schedule
6 October: First T20I, Lucknow (India won by eight wickets)
9 October: Second T20I, Ranchi
11 October: Third T20I, Indore
14 October: Fourth T20I, Hyderabad
17 October: Fifth T20I, Bengaluru