Playing Bhuvneshwar Kumar A "Mistake": BCCI Selectors Called Out By World Cup-Winner

Bhuvneshwar Kumar flopped upon his T20I return© BCCI/Creimas

Following the T20I series, the mood in the camp was not one of absolute delight, as Shreyas Iyer's men lost the final two matches after winning the first three. As critics conduct a post-mortem of the series, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who won the 2007 T20 World Cup, has criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for including veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar-who struggled to produce his best-in the squad. Bhuvneshwar's return to the national team came after a four-year hiatus. For Irfan, the decision made little sense, especially with the T20 World Cup still a long way off.

"In my opinion, where did the selectors go wrong? They made a mistake by playing Bhuvneshwar Kumar in this series. Look, there is no doubt that Bhuvneshwar is a good bowler and a senior player. However, playing him here, when the T20 World Cup is nowhere near, was questionable. If you were preparing Bhuvneshwar for the 50-over World Cup, which is closer, that would have made sense," Irfan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

"By including him in this series, however, you missed out on giving young fast bowlers an opportunity. A youngster could have played in his place and gained valuable experience. Mayank [Yadav] could have played all the matches and gained that exposure, while Prince Yadav could have played too. You missed a valuable opportunity for your fast bowlers to gain good experience on New Zealand soil," he added.

Irfan clarified that his criticism was not a reflection of Bhuvneshwar's skill, despite the veteran pacer failing to make a lethal impact during the five-match T20I series against the Kiwis.

"I'm not saying this because Bhuvneshwar didn't perform well. That's not the case. Although he was a bit unlucky-he bowled well in his first two overs, but later, when he bowled the final over of the powerplay, he conceded runs. These things happen to any player. There is no question about his skill," he noted.

For Irfan, the time is ripe for selectors to invest in young bowlers like Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, and others, rather than recalling a 36-year-old pacer.

"The question is definitely about the timing. Would this have been a better opportunity for a young fast bowler? I believe it would have been. You have to understand that if you want to develop fast bowlers, it is very important to give them opportunities and let them play on true pitches, where the margin for error is very low," he explained.

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