SOUTHAMPTON: Indian speedster Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a known introvert. So when he speaks, he chooses his words carefully. The 29-year old speedster has set his sights on a brisk start at the World Cup and wants to be amongst the wickets.
A dominating win over Bangladesh in the warm-up game earlier this week already gives Bhuvneshwar confidence of a good showing in the 50-over showpiece event.
“We got everything we wanted out of the match; when it comes to batting, bowling and fielding,” he said.
“Chasing 350 down is a very big task,” Kumar said. “There’s always extra belief when you go to a bowl. You have the liberty to try a few things.”
DREAMING OF LORD’S
The 29-year-old made his mark at the ‘home of cricket’ by leading the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India to a famous Test win there in 2014, his first tour with the national team. And given the fact that India plays none of its matches there gives Bhuvneshwar an added impetus.
“Lord’s is always a special place, not just for me but for any cricketer. I have very good memories there, so if we reach the final it will be a very big moment for not just me but for the whole team.”
Being an important bowler in the scheme of things is a challenging thing, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar is clearly thriving on it.
HUSSAIN BACKS KOHLI TO FIRE
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that current India captain Virat Kohli can break a number of records that the legendary Sachin Tendulkar has set.
“Virat is not worried about anything else other than winning games for the country. That is his greatest asset as a captain, I feel. I thought there never will be someone to replace Sachin, but Kohli is going to break them all -- just a phenomenal achievement by a phenomenal player,” said Hussain.
India start their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Southampton on Wednesday and the Indian team has been training on and off for the first game of the series.
In fact, it was during the practice sessions on Saturday that Kohli injured his thumb. While it wasn’t initially clear if it was due to batting at the nets or during fielding drills, it was later confirmed that he has not sustained any serious injury.
