T20 World Cup: “Swing kumar back in peak form at perfect time” – Fans react after Bhuvneshwar Kumar's back-to-back maiden overs against Netherlands

Indian ace pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar made an impressive start for the Men in Blue against the Netherlands at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday (October 27).

The seamer bowled back-to-back maiden overs during the powerplay overs, while also picking up the wicket of Vikramjit Singh. His exceptional performance meant the Dutch batters could only score 27 runs in the powerplay overs.

In this process, Kumar also equalled speedster Jasprit Bumrah's record for most maidens in T20Is for India.

The 32-year-old continued his impressive form after his decent spell against Pakistan, where he finished with 1/22. The experienced pacer did well in the death overs against the Men in Green as he gave away 10 runs and picked up a wicket in the 20th over last Sunday.

He will be keen to deliver for the Indian team throughout the tournament in the absence of injured pacer Bumrah as Rohit Sharma and Co. chase India’s second T20 World Cup trophy.

Fans on Twitter hailed Bhuvneshwar for his strong showing heading into the critical matches of the showpiece T20 event. Here are some of the reactions:

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“He’s a dangerous option”- John Buchanan hails Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Former Australian World Cup-winning head coach John Buchanan feels that Bhuvneshwar could be lethal with the new ball for India in the Australian conditions at the T20 World Cup.

Speaking to News 18, he said:

“I think Bhuvneshwar Kumar could surprise a little bit because, in Australia, he should be able to get the ball to swing, in those first couple of hours, which may mean he’s a dangerous option and may pick up a or two.”

Meanwhile, India will be keen to beat the Netherlands by a fair margin to boost their confidence ahead of the crucial match against South Africa.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar will look to live up to India's expectations against the Proteas in Perth on Sunday (October 30) and the tournament's knockout stages.

The right-arm seamer has already picked up 34* wickets (subject to change) in 26 T20Is this year at an economy rate of 7.12. He is also the leading wicket-taker for the Men in Blue in T20Is (87*).