"You can go back to the youngsters" - Discarded India batter's interesting take amid Bhuvneshwar Kumar's struggles in NZ vs IND 2026 T20Is

Discarded India batter Hanuma Vihari presented an interesting take on veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar amid the T20I series against New Zealand. While the Men in Blue have sealed the series 3-0 with two games to go, Bhuvneshwar has failed to make an impact on his comeback.

In the third T20I, he once again went for runs and remained wicketless, returning figures of 0/40 from four overs. Hanuma Vihari reflected that the veteran pacer did not quite live up to expectations. While he admitted that it could need more time to get into rhythm in international cricket after not playing a lot, Vihari felt that a drop in place was a major concern for Bhuvneshwar.

He felt that the pacer must be given a chance in the remainder of the series. However, he suggested that the Indian team could go back to young pacers if the veteran failed to prove himself.

"One important discussion is about Bhuvneshwar Kumar. I was eagerly waiting for his performance and thought he would even be considered for the World Cup too. But I think he is not match-fit yet. When you are 36 and not playing many matches, it will take some time to get into the groove and rhythm. The concerning thing is that his pace has come down. The swing is there, which is okay. But from the second over, he starts giving runs in every game. But you can see for two more games. If it does not work after that, you can go back to the youngsters," he said in a video on his YouTube channel.

The discarded Indian batter expected Bhuvneshwar Kumar to do well given his performances in the last two IPL seasons. However, he wondered if a drop in pace and match fitness were the key factors behind these performances.

"I thought he would do better looking at how he bowled in the IPL. But there is a difference in IPL and international cricket. The pace drop also makes a huge difference. Is it the pace drop? Is it the match fitness? I don't know."

In the three matches so far, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has proved to be expensive, giving away 139 from 12 overs at an economy rate of 11.58, with just one wicket to his name.

Hanuma Vihari praises India for dominant display

With the six-wicket victory in the third T20I, India clinched the series with an unassailable 3-0 lead. While Hanuma Vihari expected it to be a closely contested series, he praised Shreyas Iyer and his troops for their dominant display. Vihari reckoned that winning the toss was one of the crucial factors for the Men in Blue.

"India have dominated New Zealand and sealed the series. I thought it would have been tight and closely fought. Winning the toss in all three games was a huge deal for India as it is slightly easier for the team chasing. I will not say that is the only reason, but it certainly gave an advantage and the toss was a big factor," he said.

He also praised Abhishek Sharma for making light work of the chase. While he felt New Zealand were short, he stated that it would not have made a difference the way India batted.

"Abhishek Sharma's batting was out of this world. It was absolutely brilliant. There was some initial help for the fast bowlers, decent bounce. I think India bowled really well to restrict New Zealand. At one stage, when New Zealand were 130-odd, I thought they would accelerate, and it was a 210-220 wicket. But it does not matter.

The visitors chased down 199 in just 13.2 overs. Abhishek led the charge with a 38-ball 113, making it a one-sided affair.

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