CHENNAI: Around the time Bhuvneshwar Kumar was delivering a masterclass in new ball swing bowling against Mumbai Indians on Sunday, R Ashwin had a suggestion. It's time to consider Kumar for India's T20 set-up.
When Ashwin's suggestion was put to the 36-year-old during a select interaction on Monday, the the Royal Challengers Bengaluru seamer was all wit. "Yes," he replies on if he has any thoughts, "make Ash the selector (smiles)."
He may have deflected the question with wit and brevity but Ashwin's suggestion ought to be considered by the actual selectors. He's one of the main reasons why the table-toppers are on the cusp of qualifying for the next phase of the competition. With a win against Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur on Wednesday, they will go to 16.
In an era where the top-order have weaponised the powerplay, the seamer stands out. In an era where finishers have further showed what's possible in the death, the UP lad continues to fly the flag for the pace bowling union.
The numbers jump out in barely-believable fashion. What's been the most impressive thing about his bowling this season is that his 21 wickets (Purple Cap holder) isn't even his most impressive thing. That would be his powerplay numbers where his economy rate is well under eight with 12 wickets. Teams may view 100 runs in the first six as the bare minimum but the 26-year-old is the odd exception satisfying this rule.
How has he found the solution when others like him are struggling against the tide? His multi-layered answer is thought-provoking. The too long; didn't read version is wickets. "The ball is definitely coming out nicely," he says. "But that was the case last year too. It's just that when you take wickets, everything looks good. People think you are trying something different, but I'm not doing anything different. I haven't trained differently. I'm doing the same things. But wickets give confidence. And confidence helps you execute better.
"Wickets make everything look good. When you take wickets, batters take a few balls to settle and there's a better chance of keeping teams under control. The mindset now is such that even 200 looks chaseable. So wickets become even more important. The way batters are coming at you now is different from 10 years back. Now, if you score 200, it feels like it's just 200. That's how the game works. Batters do something and bowlers evolve in response. I've accepted that. I'm at peace with it. Earlier, giving away 40 runs felt like a bad day. Now, if you go for 40, it can still be considered good bowling."
That peace is also visible during the 30-minute interaction. He's calm, relaxed and cracks a few jokes along the way. There's no bitterness in his voice or disappointment or regret. He's just grateful that he has done this gig for over the last 15 years. Peace is also something he uses within the context of the call-up to the national team. "Acceptance is difficult," he says, "but once you learn to make peace with it, you think differently. The day I was dropped from the Indian team, I was at peace. I had been there for a decade, seen everything. That is why it was easier to able to detach."
Even as other pacers have continued to grind across formats, his sole focus right now is on T20 cricket (his last List A match was in December 2023 and his last red-ball match was in January 24). This has allowed him to be fresh. "That has been my routine for years, especially since I haven't been part of the Indian team. Training, gym, practice, ground work… doing the same things over and over. I only play IPL, UPT20 and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, so there's enough cricket to stay in touch and enough breaks to stay fresh and train properly."
On Wednesday under the lights, Kumar will have the ball knowing full well he's ideally suited to produce magic. If he can do the same thing for three more weeks, the franchise may well defend the title they won last year.