India’s ex-spinner R Ashwin threw his weight behind Bhuvneshwar KumarThe return to the national setup, urging the selectors to consider the veteran fast bowler as India prepares for the 2027 ODI World Cup.Ashwin believes that India’s current pace attack lacks the experience required for a major ICC tournament and pointed to Bhuvneshwar’s recent success with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League as evidence that the 36-year-old still has a lot to offer.Bhuvneshwar has played a key role in RCB’s back-to-back IPL title-winning campaigns, claiming 45 wickets in the last two seasons. His consistent performances helped the franchise end its long wait for a trophy before successfully defending the title.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin argued that Bhuvneshwar deserves to be in contention for a World Cup spot, especially given his fitness and ability to contribute in multiple phases of the game.“Why not? The way our fast bowling stocks are now, there is some struggle. I think it is worth considering Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Why can’t you consider him? There is only one difference between Shami and Bhuvneshwar. Bhuvi was able to put on the park for two seasons together for RCB and he also managed to keep the team Both, and he himself won the title of RCB. reasons for that. He looks pretty fit. I’m not saying to take it right away, but at least give it a chance and then decide. You can swing the ball, give you overs at the death and bat a little further. He has a lot of batting ability,” Ashwin said.The former spinner also questioned whether India’s relatively inexperienced fast bowling unit would be ready for the pressures of a World Cup campaign. While I recognize the promise shown by the younger pacers, I felt that a mix of youth and experience would be a more balanced approach.“Just because of the pure inexperience of the bowling attack, you can take it into consideration. Gurnoor, Prasidh, and Prince – is that the bowling you want to play in a World Cup? I’m not too sure. You can have one or two of these. In addition, you have Harshit and Bumrah. So with Bhuvneshwar, experience and youth have added well.Ashwin also stressed that India must now focus on establishing their pace attack rather than continuing to experiment, with the World Cup just a year away.According to him, the selectors have already given opportunities to several fast bowlers and now they should narrow down the core group while keeping Bhuvneshwar firmly in the conversation.“It is not the time to develop players now with 12 months to go. You have given Harshit the opportunity, and it is important to know his status now as a batsman at eight. Gurnoor and Prasidh have had opportunities. But you cannot remove them and bring in more bowlers now. It is important to identify who are your four or five pacers, from which you take three for the World Cup. he explained.