'We were lacking that': Iyer makes big admission as Bhuvneshwar returns

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shreyas Iyer (Agency Image)

India captain Shreyas Iyer is looking forward to having Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in the T20I setup, believing the veteran pacer's recent performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have demonstrated his ability to excel in the shortest format.Bhuvneshwar could return to international cricket in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, with the first match scheduled to be played in Christchurch. The comeback would come nearly four years after his last appearance for India in the format, in November 2022.

His anticipated return against the West Indies at home was washed out by rain recently, leaving fans waiting a little longer to see the experienced swing bowler back in Indian colours.Since his last T20I appearance, Bhuvneshwar has enjoyed a resurgence with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), playing a key role in the franchise's back-to-back IPL title triumphs in 2025 and 2026. He has claimed 45 wickets in 31 matches during this period, averaging 22.55 at an economy rate of 8.52.His latest IPL campaign was particularly impressive. Bhuvneshwar finished as the tournament's second-highest wicket-taker, collecting 28 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 17.89 and an economy rate of 7.95.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the opening T20I, Iyer highlighted the experience the 36-year-old would bring to an Indian bowling attack that has featured several new faces."He brings a lot of experience to the team. And we were lacking that. Especially after IPL. We had a lot of new bowlers. But in T20, if you see his career graph, he has won IPL in the last two years. So, he has a very good idea of dominating this format," Iyer said.Bhuvneshwar has taken 90 wickets in 87 T20Is for India at an average of 23.10. His record includes two five-wicket hauls and three four-wicket hauls.He is now 10 wickets away from becoming the fifth Indian bowler to claim 100 T20I wickets, joining Arshdeep Singh (145),

Jasprit Bumrah

(126), Hardik Pandya (114) and Axar Patel (113).The veteran pacer is also approaching another significant career milestone. With 294 international wickets across formats, he needs six more to reach 300, a mark achieved by only 13 Indian bowlers so far.

Reaching the landmark would make him the 14th Indian bowler overall and the ninth fast bowler from the country to do so.

Iyer anticipates pace challenge in New Zealand

Beyond Bhuvneshwar's return, Iyer expects India's batters to face a stern examination from New Zealand's pace-heavy attack. He stressed the importance of adapting quickly to the local conditions and using the practice sessions to develop a clear plan."If we look at the conditions here, fast bowling suits here. I have been here before, and it is not like the conditions are completely different. In England, the way we played, they had prepared the wickets according to our batting. But on a given day, no one knows how the wicket will be. So, we will try to acclimatise as soon as possible. And once we have a good practice session, every individual will get a fair idea of how to plan," he said.