Former Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara feels star player Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be Team India’s first choice with the new ball in the New Zealand seriesScroll down to read the full story
Published: October 21, 2026, 6:50 PM IST
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Pujara feels Bhuvneshwar could be India’s first names for NZ series (Image – X)
Shreyas Iyer’s Team India recently competed against Shai Hope’s West Indies in the T20I series, where the result of the series came as a draw due to rain in the last T20I match of the seriesHowever, Team India is ready to face New Zealand in the upcoming five-match T20I series.
Ahead of the upcoming T20I series, former Indian cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara and Abhishek Nayar opened up on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s deserved call to the T20I setupThey also discussed what winning against New Zealand in the T20I series would mean for Shreyas Iyer as a skipper.
“When you go to New Zealand and defeat the New Zealand team, it’s a big achievementPerforming well in overseas conditions for the Indian team in any format, whether it is ODIs, T20Is, or a Test match, boosts your confidenceIf you do well there as a captain or as a team, your confidence goes up, that you can perform well not just in Indian conditions, but anywhere in the world.”
Cheteshwar Pujara also opened up on whether Bhuvneshwar Kumar would be one of the first names in India’s playing XI in New Zealand“In New Zealand, I agree that he should be the first choice with the new ball, based on the conditions, because of the skill he possesses of swinging the ballIf the ball won’t swing in New Zealand, where else will it swing? The conditions there are ideal for himIf there is a little help from the pitch, he can extract that movement from the pitch very well with the new ball.”
Abhishek Nayar also applauded Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his impressive performance and consistency in the two seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL)“In the IPL, there aren’t seaming conditions, there are flat pitchesYet, for two years, he has been bowling two overs at the top and two at the back end, the toughest phases of the gameTo do that, you need experience, you need a bowler who understands the conditions and can extract the best out of those conditions, and there has never been a question about Bhuvneshwar KumarI am so, so happy that Bhuvi has got a chance because, for so many years, he has been the kind of bowler that Cheteshwar Pujara was as a batterYou don’t notice them until you notice themWhen you go and open their stats, you see performance and consistency, whether they are playing domestic cricket, the DY Patil tournament, or the IPLSo, I’m very happy that he’s in the team.”
