Bowlers can still control the game: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Wellington: Modern T20 cricket is increasingly becoming batter-friendly, but veteran India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar believes that "good bowlers" still find a way to control the game.

Bhuvneshwar is in the middle of his first international series in nearly four years, having made a comeback following stellar performances in the IPL.

The 36-year-old has reinvented his game to meet the demands of a format dominated by batters.


Speaking to reporters after India's win in the third T20I here, Bhuvneshwar said the game is not totally in favour of the batters and bowlers can still make a big impact.

"This is a debatable question. We say that the conditions favour the batters nowadays and all that, but I still believe that a bowler can control the game. The reason is that we feed the ball to the batter.

"I know that the margin of error is very low, which we generally talk about. But still, a bowler can land the ball wherever he wants to. I strongly believe that a bowler can control the game," said Bhuvneshwar.

The wily operator said that adaptability holds the key to containing the batters.

"There are small boundaries. Everything is given to the batters. But still, a bowler is the one who feeds the ball to the batter.

"Then it's up to the batter what he wants to play, whether he wants to play according to the ball or not. But still, if you look at the good bowlers, they are still doing well. They are consistent.

"Even if the game is not equal, the bowler adapts quickly. We've seen it in IPL, we've seen it here as well."

Bhuvneshwar made his T20I debut back in 2012 when the format was in the early stages of its growth.

Asked how the game has become tougher for the bowlers over the years and how he rates the current crop of Indian pacers, he said: "There is curiosity among them. They are new but experienced at the same time (because of IPL).

"If you look at IPL cricket, it's T20 cricket and I think it's almost at the same level (as international cricket). So everyone wants to learn.

"But we have to understand that T20 cricket has become difficult. When I made my T20 debut, the mindset was to give opportunity to someone new and then try him in other formats. I think now it's difficult to give someone a direct T20 debut. You need maturity. And they've shown all that in IPL," he said.

Asked about his ODI ambitions, Bhuvneshwar said he is not thinking too far ahead in his international career.

"It is great to be playing for India again but I am not thinking too much about the future. I will continue to play domestic cricket, whether it is Mushtaq Ali or Vijay Hazare.

"I did not chase this (playing for India again) though it was always the dream. Credit goes to my performances in the IPL over the past two years," he said.

Talking about the mindset of the batters, Bhuvneshwar said it has evolved significantly.

"Earlier, somewhere there was a thinking that as runs have come in the first couple of balls, let's go easy in the remaining over. But now it is not like that. Batters are looking to hit every ball.

"There is one ball. There are two balls. There are six balls. Credit should be given to this generation for playing fearlessly," he added.