Former India off-spinner R Ashwin has thrown his weight behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar‘s return to the national setup, urging the selectors to consider the veteran fast bowler as India prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup.Ashwin believes 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 plenty to offer.Bhuvneshwar played a key role in RCB’s back-to-back IPL title-winning campaigns, claiming 45 wickets across the last two seasons. His consistent performances helped the franchise end its long wait for a trophy before successfully defending the title.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin argued that Bhuvneshwar deserves to be in contention for a World Cup berth, especially given his fitness and ability to contribute in multiple phases of the game.“Why not? The way our fast bowling stocks are right now, there is some struggle there. I think it is worth considering Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Why can you not consider him? There is only one difference between Shami and Bhuvneshwar. Bhuvi has been able to put himself on the park for two seasons together for RCB and has been able to keep himself fit. Both teams RCB won the title, and he was also among the top three reasons for that. He looks fit enough. I am not saying to take him straightaway, but at least give him a chance and then decide. He can swing the ball, give you overs at the death and bat a bit as well. He has a lot of batting ability,” said Ashwin.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 acknowledging the promise shown by the younger pacers, he felt a blend of youth and experience would be a more balanced approach.“Just because of the pure inexperience of the bowling attack, you can keep him in consideration. Gurnoor, Prasidh, and Prince – is that the bowling you want to play in a World Cup? I am not too sure. You can have one or two from these. Apart from that, you have Harshit and Bumrah. So with Bhuvneshwar, experience and youth will work well,” he added.Ashwin further stressed that India should now focus on settling their pace attack rather than continuing to experiment, with the World Cup only a year away.According to him, the selectors have already handed opportunities to several fast bowlers and should now 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 gave Harshit an opportunity, and it is important to know his status now as he bats at eight. Gurnoor and Prasidh got opportunities. But you cannot remove them and bring more bowlers now. It is important to identify who your four or five pacers are, out of which you will take three for the World Cup. That is why you must have someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar in discussions as well,” he explained.
