"He is not someone who is going to sit and moan about it" - Dinesh Karthik's huge remark on changes in India playing XI for NZ vs IND 2026 4th T20I

Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik shared his thoughts on veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar being out of the playing XI for the fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland on Friday, October 30. The right-arm bowler, who made his international comeback after almost four years in the series, has not been at his best, as he finds himself out of the side again.

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss in Auckland and chose to bowl for the fourth time in a row in the series. He named two changes to the playing XI, with Ishan Kishan returning after recovering from an injury in place of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, while Mayank Yadav came in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The skipper did not explain the thinking behind either switch at the toss, and there has been no official word on whether Bhuvneshwar was rested, rotated or dropped.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has only picked one wicket from 12 overs across the first three matches in the series, conceding 139 runs in the process. His first spell back, at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, was his first T20I since November 2022, and it went for 49 in four overs with two no-balls, the second-most expensive return of his T20I career. He conceded 50 in the second game and 40 in the third as India secured a 3-0 lead.

The former India wicketkeeper revealed he would have kept the 36-year-old in the side, and expects him to answer the omission with his bowling if he avails a chance in the near future.

“Personally, I would have persisted with him, knowing the pedigree he has. We don't know whether he is being rested and the bowlers are being rotated or whether he has been dropped. If he has been dropped, you can understand. He has played three games, bowled 12 overs, and it has not gone according to the plan. He sets lofty standards for himself, and I don't think he has bowled up to the standards that he usually does,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“He is not someone who is going to sit and moan about it. He will take it on his chin. Knowing him, he will come back stronger. If this means he is not a part of the squad from here on, then that is quite hard. I do feel that, with the kind of success he has shown and the consistency he has shown in a premier tournament like the IPL, he will warrant a few more chances; he deserves a few more chances, and when he gets those, I have no doubt that he will show the world how good he is,” Karthik elaborated.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was initially expected to join the T20I squad in New Zealand, but featured for India in the fifth T20I against West Indies in Bengaluru after Arshdeep Singh's injury. The veteran did not get a chance to bowl as the series finale was washed out after just 7.4 overs. It remains to be seen whether his return, being a bit fast-tracked, affected his preparation for the New Zealand tour.

"Sometimes it happens" - Ambati Rayudu on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's lackluster India comeback amid NZ vs IND 2026 T20Is

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu sympathised with Bhuvneshwar Kumar amid his ongoing struggles in international cricket. He backed the pacer to maintain his composure despite being dropped, and return strongly.

“I don't think he will do anything different. He is not someone who goes too high after a good [performance] or goes too low with failures, so he will keep his composure. He knows how to come back; he knows how to perform. Sometimes it happens when you are playing international cricket after a while. Things might not go as planned,” Rayudu said.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's replacement for the fourth T20I, Mayank Yadav, has struck twice in the fourth T20I, dismissing Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell inside the powerplay. At the time of writing, New Zealand are placed at 72-2 in the seventh over.

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