Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Every setback has another comeback

By Manya Bhasin

At 36, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has another India story to tell.

Nearly four years after his last international appearance in November 2022, the fast bowler has been picked for India’s five-match T20I series in New Zealand, beginning October 22. The BCCI announced his return on October 6.

His career has spanned spectacular beginnings, Test highs, injuries and reinvention in white-ball cricket. Now, he has another chance to wear India colours.

Born on February 5, 1990, in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, Bhuvneshwar developed an interest in cricket early. He began focusing seriously on the sport in Class VIII and joined Victoria Park Academy at 14. His elder sister, Rekha Adhana, encouraged him to pursue his cricketing dream.

His father, Kiran Pal Singh, was a retired Uttar Pradesh Police Sub-Inspector, while his mother, Indresh Singh, is a homemaker. His father died of cancer on May 20, 2021. Bhuvneshwar studied at Translam Academy in Meerut. He married childhood friend Nupur Nagar, a software professional, on November 23, 2017. The couple welcomed daughter Acsah in 2021.

Long before the setbacks, though, there was a young bowler who could make a cricket ball talk.

The boy who stunned Tendulkar

Bhuvneshwar was 18 when he made one of the most memorable statements of his domestic career. According to BCCI records, he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy final.

His international debut followed in 2012. BCCI records show that he returned figures of 3 for 9 against Pakistan in his first T20I. In his first ODI, against Pakistan in Chennai, he dismissed Mohammad Hafeez with his first delivery.

His strength was never raw pace. It was movement, control and the ability to make the new ball do things.

When the ball did the talking

His Test career initially promised much.

According to the BCCI’s annual report, Bhuvneshwar scored 247 runs and took 19 wickets in India’s five-Test series in England in 2014, earning the Player of the Series award. At Lord’s, he claimed 6 for 82, helping India secure its first Test win at the venue since 1986.

Then came the interruptions.

In December 2014, the BCCI said an ankle injury had ruled him out of the Test series in Australia. In January 2020, he underwent surgery for a sports hernia and began rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy.

Learning to evolve

He became increasingly effective as a white-ball bowler, adding variations and sharpening his yorker. The IPL’s official records show that he won the Purple Cap in 2016 with 23 wickets and again in 2017 with 26, becoming the first bowler to claim the award in successive seasons.

His international career produced another landmark in 2018. Against South Africa in Johannesburg, he took 5 for 24 and was named Player of the Match, according to BCCI records.

In December 2019, the BCCI said his sports hernia symptoms had resurfaced, ruling him out of the ODI series against the West Indies.

The India call

Bhuvneshwar last played for India in November 2022. His selection follows a strong IPL 2026 campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

According to the IPL’s official records, he took 28 wickets during the season, including two in the final against Gujarat Titans as RCB defended their title.

The BCCI has named him in India’s 16-member T20I squad for the New Zealand series, with the opening match scheduled for October 22 in Christchurch.

At 36, the bowler who once announced himself by dismissing Tendulkar is back in the India setup.

The setbacks changed his path. They never ended it. Bhuvneshwar Kumar now has another opportunity to prove his value in India colours.

(The writer is an intern with The North News)