Bhuvneshwar: Happy that I’m bowling quicker

"I am happy that I am bowling much faster. My idol is Praveen Kumar. I’ve been watching him from my childhood. He’s the one I’d say who has taught me everything I know about bowling," says Bhuvneshwar.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is determined to play Test cricket again.

Batsmen who face Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the power-play or in the death overs find it challenging to counter his remarkable swing and control. This star performer with the ball for Sunrisers Hyderabad says that he is practising hard to increase his pace to make his swing more difficult to counter.

“Since my dream is to play Test cricket again, I am determined to chart a new course and prove a point or two every time I get a chance,” says Bhuvneshwar.

“I am happy that I am bowling much faster. My idol is Praveen Kumar. I’ve been watching him from my childhood. He’s the one I’d say who taught me everything I know about bowling. I learnt a lot from him. The best thing is we’ve played for the same state and the same IPL teams. Playing matches is altogether different, we learn a lot from matches than in practice,” he says.

Bhuvneshwar says that pacers in the Sunrisers’ bowling unit complement each other. “If one goes for runs, the others chip in to make amends. Fortunately, the ball has swung in most of the home games in Hyderabad.”

The conversation then veers towards the Bangladeshi left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman. Bhuvneshwar says Mustafizur’s action makes his off-cutters and yorkers effective.

On the challenge of bowling in the death overs, Bhuvneshwar says, “A bowler’s efficacy depends on the strategy, the batsman at the crease and the ground. But the key is how well you execute your plans to be successful in the death overs.”

Bhuvneshwar says that T20 makes (fast) bowlers smart, as they learn to change their pace quickly and use the bouncers, slow balls and the yorkers, appropriately.

“I always believe that my strength is swing. I always look to swing the ball in the first six (overs) regardless of the wicket. If there is more purchase in the wicket then I don’t look to come at the batsmen, but when there’s nothing in the wicket then I look to bowl good lengths,” he says.

On Warner’s captaincy, Bhuvneshwar says he is very supportive and lets the bowlers set their own fields. “This lifts the confidence of the bowlers. He is a bowler’s captain.”