"Bhuvneshwar Kumar swinging the ball & picking early wickets is a huge plus" - Parthiv Patel after IND vs SA T20Is

Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel believes the biggest positive for India from their recently concluded T20I series against the Proteas was the resurgence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The 32-year-old was seen swinging the ball beautifully and picking up wickets, especially up front.

He had six scalps as India came from behind to level the series 2-2. Parthiv Patel feels Bhuvneshwar did a great job of carrying his IPL 2022 form into the South Africa series.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, here's what Parthiv had to say about Bhuvneshwar's performance:

"Bhuvneshwar improved along the IPL and he replicated that in this series (against South Africa). Along with his experience, if you bowl well then it is a huge thing in a big tournament. So I think Bhuvneshwar swinging the ball and picking early wickets is a huge plus from this series."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar should not be judged by runs: Parthiv Patel

Referring to the first T20I of the series where Bhuvneshwar gave away 43 runs in four overs, Parthiv opined that it shouldn't be considered a poor bowling performance as numbers don't tell the entire story.

The 37-year-old insisted that Bhuvneshwar should not be judged by the runs he gives away, but by the amount of swing that he generates:

"Like in batting you need to know when to play what shot and what the demands of the team are, similar is the case with bowling. Despite having so many options, you need to know what your strength is. Bhuvneshwar bowled really well in the first game although the figures show 1/43. We should never judge Bhuvneshwar by his numbers, we see whether he is swinging the ball and how it is coming out from his hand."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has a crucial few months ahead of him as India's T20 World Cup squad will begin to take shape with each passing series.