IPL 2022: Bhuvneshwar Kumar sends reminder to national selectors – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Mumbai Indians needed 19 in two overs last night at their home ground, the Wankhede Stadium. It should have been easy, but they had lost Tim David, who had clobbered four sixes in the previous over. They were down to Ramandeep Singh and Sanjay Yadav, both promising cricketers but neither of whom had faced a ball in the match.

Kane Williamson resisted the temptation to back Umran Malik (3-0-23-3) or Fazalhaq Farooqi (3-0-16-0 until then). He backed the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-0-26-0 at that point) instead. Until that point, he had gone for 7.34 an over in the season (it would drop to 7.19 after the over). Put a 40-over cut-off, and only Umesh Yadav has a better economy rate (6.93) among seamers, Indian or overseas.

File photo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Sportzpics

The strategy was to bowl as far outside the off-stump as possible. This was not easy to implement with Malik’s pace, for an edge might fly anywhere. Bhuvneshwar, backed by an off-side field, was the ideal choice. The first ball was well outside off. Yadav’s desperate swipe missed.

To make it even more difficult, Bhuvneshwar bowled a slow, short-pitched ball outside off. In another era, coaches would yell at bowlers for that line and length, but here, Hyderabad had J. Suchith is ready in the deep for that particular shot. Yadav could have hit it on the ground and tried to beat Suchith, but with 19 to score from 11, he went for the six – and perished.

Out came Jasprit Bumrah, and Bhuvneshwar greeted him with a yorker wide outside off. Bumrah tried to steer it, and even managed to put bat on ball, but nothing came of it.

Bumrah’s best bet was to get a single and somehow get Ramandeep on strike. He backed away, trying to make room. Bhuvneshwar altered his line but not his length, cramping Bumrah for space. He bowled three yorkers. After being unable to put bat on ball twice, Bumrah somehow dug out the third. They might have run a single, but that would have put Ramandeep on strike.

With 19 to defend in two overs, thus, Bhuvneshwar finished with a wicket-maiden. Of course, he bowled two balls at an IPL debutant and four at a rank tail-ender, but even then, it should not take the sheen off the feat. Nor was it a one-off, for Bhuvneshwar has been among the best death bowlers of the season.

Best economy rate, Indian bowlers, overs 17-20, IPL 2022 (10 overs)

Combining the economy rate and strike rate, it is easy to see why Bumrah is an automatic choice in the Indian T20I XI. But Bhuvneshwar sits well on the list alongside Bumrah, Harshal (very likely to make it to the XI), and Arshdeep (much-talked-about throughout the season).

This is not a one-off season. Bhuvneshwar has been among the best death bowlers in IPL history. Put a 75-over cut-off, and only six men (including three overseas) have had better economy rates. Of them, only Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, and Lasith Malinga have bowled 150 overs.

Best economy rate, overs 17-20, IPL history (75 overs)

However, the death is not the only part of the innings where Bhuvneshwar makes it to the top three. In fact, his strength lies in bowling with the new ball. As with the death overs, he sits at third place in the season here as well.

Bhuvneshwar is also the only bowler who makes it to the five most economical bowlers in both Powerplay and death overs.

Best economy rate, Indian bowlers, overs 1-6, IPL 2022 (10 overs)

Just like the death overs, his Powerplay bowling is not a one-off either. In fact, of all bowlers to have bowled 75 overs, Bhuvneshwar is the only man to have conceded fewer runs than balls bowled in IPL history.

Best economy rate, overs 1-6, IPL history (75 overs)

The all-time list features the usual suspects – Malinga, Narine, Steyn, Bumrah – as the least expensive bowlers in both the Powerplay and at the death. Despite that – and despite having won the Purple Cap twice in a row – Bhuvneshwar is seldom considered an automatic choice for T20 Internationals in 2022.

However, when he has played for India, he has executed the Powerplay-specialist role to near-perfection. In T20I history, only Tim Southee (774 balls) has bowled more in the Powerplay than Bhuvneshwar. And Bhuvneshwar’s Powerplay economy rate of 5.76 is the best in T20I history.

Best economy rate, overs 1-6, T20 Internationals (75 overs)

Given Bumrah’s versatility, there is little doubt that Bhuvneshwar has been – and is – India’s best bet in the Powerplay overs (and among the best at the death), something he re-established this season. The rest is up to the selectors now.

Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor at CricketNews and co-author of Sachin and Azhar at Cape Town.

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