India’s ODI regulars Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a return to the mix for the series opener against South Africa at Paarl. While Dhawan top-scored with 79 runs off 84 deliveries in an otherwise insipid batting performance from the Indians, Bhuvneshwar Kumar looked ineffective.
The 31-year-old seamer, who has 257 international wickets across 196 games, returned to the playing eleven after the tour of Sri Lanka and gave away 64 runs in his 10 overs without taking a wicket.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has also weighed in on the experienced bowler’s “persistent” problem which has led to a dip in his performance. South Africa crushed India both strategically as well as on skills to register a 31-run win and gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
“Jasprit Bumrah did get Janneman Malan out with the new ball, it was a very good delivery. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – initially alright but after that, the sharpness is not being seen and it is a persistent problem,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
“It is not that we are seeing this problem now, it is now 12 to 15 months. We haven’t seen the best of Bhuvneshwar Kumar thus far and that’s a bit of a disappointment if you talk from my viewpoint. Shardul Thakur tries his best but he also couldn’t do anything here,” he added.
Shardul Thakur notched up a fifty when the match as a contest was all but over. He also went for 70 plus runs in his 10-over spell, and the spin duo of R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal in their combined 20 overs gave away 106 runs for a single pluck. Opposition spinners Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj, on the other hand, bowled 26 overs between them for 124 runs and snared four wickets.
On Ashwin and Chahal’s bowling exploits, Chopra said, “You are not able to pick wickets in the middle overs, that’s been an issue with the Indian team. And then you remember – where is the other wrist-spinner? Ashwin was economical, both spinners gave 53 runs in their 10 overs, but there is no use if the wickets are not there. I am absolutely fine if you give 72 but pick three wickets.”
The cricketer-turned-commentator was also puzzled over the team’s decision to not utilize debutant Venkatesh Iyer’s bowling skills. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player came in to bat at the No. 6 position but didn’t roll his arms in the fixture, giving rise to questions over his role as an additional bowling option in the set-up.
“You played Venkatesh Iyer as an additional bowling option. But you didn’t get him to bowl. It is beyond my understanding. Why are you playing Venkatesh Iyer if you don’t want to give him a bowl? You are not playing Venkatesh Iyer just to bat him at No. 6,” Chopra further added.