"I don't want to be the next Kapil Dev" - Bhuvneshwar Kumar on comparisons with the Indian great

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Indian swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, having earned himself the repuatation of being a cricketer you can rely upon, feels that when a bowler is in rhythm, he can master any condition.

“A batsman is in the zone. A bowler is in rhythm. If you are in rhythm you find things are happening very easily. It doesn’t matter what kind of conditions you are playing in,” the medium-pacer said, in an exclusive interview to Indian Express ahead of India’s departure to Australia.

“You don’t feel that you are doing something for the first time. For example if I go to Australia and I am in good rhythm I will never feel that this place or condition is new to me.

“When you are in rhythm you never find the hardness or softness of the ground. When you are not in good rhythm you always realise that this surface is very hard or this surface is very soft. In good rhythm you just concentrate on bowling. I haven’t had a lot of experience in internationals but I can make out just by his running whether a fast bowler is in a good rhythm or not,” he added.

Having tasted success in England with a couple of five-wicket hauls, the Meerut born bowler feels having a definitive plan to outsmart a batsman is necessary.

“Batsmen know that I swing the ball both ways so they will be ready for that. My goal is to delay what they think I am going to do until the last moment. That, however, is something that doesn’t usually happen,” he conceded.

“The batsman isn’t a fool. He knows what I am thinking. He will consciously plan not to get out in that manner. If he does get out, he usually gets out some other way because that’s not where his focus is. So if the plan is to get a batsman out caught behind, I will probably only get him out that way around 20 percent of the time,” Bhuvneshwar added.

Pace has never been my strength: Bhuvneshwar

Despite being the strike bowler in the side, he operates at strictly medium pace. Reasoning the same, Bhuvneshwar mentioned that pace has never been his strength and that his primary focus is on swinging the ball.

“I have always known that my strength has been to swing the ball. At whatever level I played, I took wickets because of swing, not because of pace. That doesn’t mean that I won’t try and get stronger so I can bowl faster but I won’t try to get faster by compensating with my swing,” he put forth.

With three half centuries in England at a batting average of 27.44, Bhuveshwar is now transforming into the role of a bowling all-rounder. However, the cricketer is playing down the expectations despite wanting to contribute everytime he gets to bat.

“I have never been picked as an all rounder for any team and I don’t want that tag either. Whenever I get a chance I want to contribute to my team. But I am not going to suddenly become the next Kapil Dev. And neither do I want to be one,” said the 24-year old, who recently won the ICC People’s Choice Award for 2014.

With only 11 Tests across three series under his belt, the Uttar Pradesh bowler is already a prominent member of the side and remains calm under pressure.

“Even when I made my debut, I didn’t feel pressure. I find it easier to play according to the situation. I have an idea of what to expect so there isn’t any fear about what is going to happen. I know that the ball isn’t going to swing or do as much as it was doing in England. It’s about adapting and I think I will be able to do that,” he concluded.