Mere swing not enough to survive
Bhuvi says his bowling has undergone change for the better, and the IPL only confirms this...
After a promising start to his international career, Bhuvneshwar Kumar seemed to have trailed off. He belonged to a different breed — not just any other fine swing bowler, but one capable of moving the ball at harrowing angles.
In an interview to Mirror, Bhuvneshwar says he’s looking a different bowler for a reason.
Sometimes my built, or the lack of it, works to my advantage. Batsmen do not know what to expect. To get the ball to skid, which is my strength, you don’t need to be express. This ball (skiddy one) comes naturally to me, especially if I’m in rhythm.
When do you feel your rhythm is just perfect?
In my case, the run-up conveys a lot about the rhythm. It’s as though I don’t even realise that I’m running. If my run-up is smooth and I feel light on the body, I can land the ball exactly where I want to.
You had a huge in-dipper when you started off. The ball would come in viciously from way outside off. While you have cranked up pace, that exaggerated movement is gone…
If you have watched me in this IPL, the swing is still there. When I joined the Indian team, my pace was about 129-130 kph. Now I can clock 135 kph consistently, which matters a great deal at the higher level. Agree, the slower you bowl, the more swing you are able to extract. But you can’t be all that effective. If the swing is slightly on the lesser side and you’re able to bowl at 135 kph, you have more sting. Quality international batsmen do make late adjustments to counter the huge swing you’re referring to. I’m content I’ve got the right mix of pace and swing.
But you’d usually skittle out the top three with the new ball with prodigious in-swingers. Why change if something is paying dividends?
I’m not saying I wasn’t getting wickets with lesser pace. But I don’t endorse the view that I’ve lost my swing completely. In the IPL matches (for Sunrisers Hyderabad) I played in Rajkot, the swing was there for everyone to see.
People have been telling me that I’ve lost it. Sometimes the conditions might not be conducive for the ball to do much. Or it could be that your rhythm has deserted you.
How do you compose yourself after nightmarish days like the Wankhede ODI against South Africa? You were clobbered for over 100 runs in 10 overs…
Depends how mature and mentally strong you are. If the team management keeps reminding you of a bad spell, it’s impossible to forget it. The Indian team is not like this. Nobody told me a word about the Wankhede ODI after the series. Not once.
That day we were bowling on a belter. No doubt they batted brilliantly, but I bowled tripe. There were other factors, for instance the energy-sapping, searing heat. It was such you felt drained after three overs.
Why aren’t you India’s first-choice new-ball bowler after a promising start?
Regardless of whether you get swing or not, you must be among the wickets. There was a phase I wasn’t getting wickets, as simple as that, but not once did I lose confidence or thought I didn’t belong.
How well do you understand your body? Are you conditioning it differently to meet the rigours of competitive cricket?
I would think so. In the last five months, I’ve been focusing on power training with our Shankar Basu. Here you train all your muscles together to generate more force. Earlier, I wasn’t too conscious of my diet. Maybe, I wasn’t mature enough or didn’t realise the toll it was taking on my body. That obviously has changed.
Cricketers from small towns are tempered with steel. How has the experience of growing in Meerut contributed to your development?
I barely had opportunities to play outside Meerut since it wasn’t a happening town. I wasn’t travelling much, so the advantage was I could thrive in a constricted space with my seniors and coaches. Conversely, the facilities, as you’d expect, weren’t outstanding. Wasn’t easy to stay updated with advanced training. We picked up whatever we could from our seniors.
It’s obvious you have batting potential, as evident during your battling knocks in England. To what extent you can develop it?
I’ve always taken it seriously. Now I’m focused on power hitting. In Tests you have time to settle in, but in ODIs or T20s you must get going instantly. Now I’m focusing on getting my backswing right. You could say it’s work in progress.
After a promising start to his international career, Bhuvneshwar Kumar seemed to have trailed off. He belonged to a different breed — not just any other fine swing bowler, but one capable of moving the ball at harrowing angles.
In an interview to Mirror, Bhuvneshwar says he’s looking a different bowler for a reason.
You may not be hugely built but your deliveries skid off the surface at a deceptive pace.
Sometimes my built, or the lack of it, works to my advantage. Batsmen do not know what to expect. To get the ball to skid, which is my strength, you don’t need to be express. This ball (skiddy one) comes naturally to me, especially if I’m in rhythm.
When do you feel your rhythm is just perfect?
In my case, the run-up conveys a lot about the rhythm. It’s as though I don’t even realise that I’m running. If my run-up is smooth and I feel light on the body, I can land the ball exactly where I want to.
You had a huge in-dipper when you started off. The ball would come in viciously from way outside off. While you have cranked up pace, that exaggerated movement is gone…
If you have watched me in this IPL, the swing is still there. When I joined the Indian team, my pace was about 129-130 kph. Now I can clock 135 kph consistently, which matters a great deal at the higher level. Agree, the slower you bowl, the more swing you are able to extract. But you can’t be all that effective. If the swing is slightly on the lesser side and you’re able to bowl at 135 kph, you have more sting. Quality international batsmen do make late adjustments to counter the huge swing you’re referring to. I’m content I’ve got the right mix of pace and swing.
But you’d usually skittle out the top three with the new ball with prodigious in-swingers. Why change if something is paying dividends?
I’m not saying I wasn’t getting wickets with lesser pace. But I don’t endorse the view that I’ve lost my swing completely. In the IPL matches (for Sunrisers Hyderabad) I played in Rajkot, the swing was there for everyone to see.
People have been telling me that I’ve lost it. Sometimes the conditions might not be conducive for the ball to do much. Or it could be that your rhythm has deserted you.
How do you compose yourself after nightmarish days like the Wankhede ODI against South Africa? You were clobbered for over 100 runs in 10 overs…
Depends how mature and mentally strong you are. If the team management keeps reminding you of a bad spell, it’s impossible to forget it. The Indian team is not like this. Nobody told me a word about the Wankhede ODI after the series. Not once.
That day we were bowling on a belter. No doubt they batted brilliantly, but I bowled tripe. There were other factors, for instance the energy-sapping, searing heat. It was such you felt drained after three overs.
Why aren’t you India’s first-choice new-ball bowler after a promising start?
Regardless of whether you get swing or not, you must be among the wickets. There was a phase I wasn’t getting wickets, as simple as that, but not once did I lose confidence or thought I didn’t belong.
How well do you understand your body? Are you conditioning it differently to meet the rigours of competitive cricket?
I would think so. In the last five months, I’ve been focusing on power training with our Shankar Basu. Here you train all your muscles together to generate more force. Earlier, I wasn’t too conscious of my diet. Maybe, I wasn’t mature enough or didn’t realise the toll it was taking on my body. That obviously has changed.
Cricketers from small towns are tempered with steel. How has the experience of growing in Meerut contributed to your development?
I barely had opportunities to play outside Meerut since it wasn’t a happening town. I wasn’t travelling much, so the advantage was I could thrive in a constricted space with my seniors and coaches. Conversely, the facilities, as you’d expect, weren’t outstanding. Wasn’t easy to stay updated with advanced training. We picked up whatever we could from our seniors.
It’s obvious you have batting potential, as evident during your battling knocks in England. To what extent you can develop it?
I’ve always taken it seriously. Now I’m focused on power hitting. In Tests you have time to settle in, but in ODIs or T20s you must get going instantly. Now I’m focusing on getting my backswing right. You could say it’s work in progress.
