“Bhuvneshwar has not been able to stem the runs in the final overs” - Sunil Gavaskar on pacer’s ineffectiveness 

Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been ineffective in recent times. He pointed to the bowler’s inability to stem the flow of runs in the end overs.

Bhuvneshwar went wicketless in the opening ODI against South Africa in Paarl while conceding 64 runs. Shardul Thakur also proved costly, going for 72 runs in his 10. India allowed the Proteas to post 296 for 4 and ended up losing the game by 31 runs.

While Gavaskar agreed that there is no need to press the panic button yet, he stated that changes should be made to address the areas that can be strengthened. Writing in his column for TOI, the 72-year-old picked the lack of penetration of new-ball bowlers and the absence of adventure from the middle order as the two key issues. On the pace bowlers, he wrote:

“Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur leaked runs, though Thakur had made up for it somewhat by cracking an unbeaten half-century when SA had eased the pressure. For some time now, Bhuvneshwar has not been able to stem the runs in the final overs like he used to.”

Gavaskar added that if India are looking to form the core of their team for the 2023 World Cup in India, then the time to do so starts now. The former opener said:

“That this series doesn’t count for points in the ICC Super League is a blessing. India being the host country will get an automatic entry, but that route is not for this Indian team.”

As for the two spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, Gavaskar opined that they did an admirable job on a beauty of a batting pitch.

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“Might be a good idea to use him as finisher” - Sunil Gavaskar on Rishabh Pant

Apart from the pace bowling, India’s middle order also let the team down in the first ODI. Gavaskar was not convinced about the idea of Rishabh Pant batting higher in the order.

According to him, he could be better utilized as a finisher. He wrote about India’s batting woes:

“The middle order floundered after the terrific partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, as Pant and the two Iyers were unable to cash in and take the team home. Pant, in recent times, has been used at no.4 in the ODIs where he has not quite found the right mix of patience and aggression, so maybe it might be a good idea to use him as finisher at no.6, where he can throw his bat at will without having to bother too much about the situation.”

India will face South Africa in the second ODI of the three-match series in Paarl on Friday. The final match of the series will be played in Cape Town on Sunday.