Birthday Boy Bhuvneshwar Kumar- The King of Swing

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a blithe spirit who hails from ‘sports city’ Meerut made his debut for India in 2012 and he has been making big strides since then. From troubling batsmen with his inswingers and outswingers to playing some winning innings with the bat, this 28-year-old India all-rounder has made a name for himself.

On his special day, let’s look at things that makes him an indispensable part of the Indian Cricket team:

Rise to Fame:

The name of Bhuvneshwar first created a buzz in 2008-09 Ranji Trophy when this young swing bowler dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in the final between Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh. Although Uttar Pradesh lost the match, the rise of a new cricket star was evident.

Debut:

Bhuvneshwar was given India cap against Pakistan in 2012 and in his very first match, rattled the top order of Pakistan. With an economy rate of 2.25, he took two wickets for 9 runs in 4 overs.

His earned his first ODI cap against Pakistan in 2012 and dismissed Mohammed Hafiz in the first ball.

Kumar’s debut wickets in T20s, ODIs and Tests have all been bowled making him the ever bowler to achieve this feat.

https://youtu.be/1XQ13tU5dDo

Unforgettable bowling spells:

4/8 against Srilanka, Port of Spain, 2013

Bhuvneshwar trapped Sri Lanka’s top four batsmen in first ten overs making Mahela Jayawardhane, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne and Upul Tharanga victims of his bowling spells. He returned with figures of four wickets for eight runs in six overs.

6/82 against England, Lord’s England, 2014

The Indian pacer made a remarkable Lord’s debut in 2014 where his 31 overs in the first innings yielded six wickets for 82 runs, which helped India cruise through their first Test victory at the Lord’ in 28 years. With this bowling performance at Lord’s, Bhuvneshwar became the 12th Indian bowler to earn his place on the honours board at the venue.

4/8 against Srilanka, Kolkata, 2017

Bhuvi made a mark at Eden Gardens when he ended the innings with four wickets for eight runs and the match with eight wickets. Unfortunately, India had to settle for a draw as bad light stopped play but Bhuvneshwar’s bowling performance was a memorable one.

Glinting IPL journey:

He was first noticed after his performance in Ranji 2008-09 where he was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore. He played for Pune Warriors in 2011 and was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014. The sixth highest wicket-taker in the tournament and winner of the purple cap for last two seasons, Kumar is one of the two players retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In 2014, he picked up 20 scalps in 14 outings. He followed it up with 18 wickets in following season. In 2016 and 2017, Bhuvi ended up taking 23 and 26 wickets respectively.

Swing it like Bhuvi:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has managed to pick up 63 wickets at an average of 26.09 in the 21 test matches. In ODIs, Kumar has 82 scalps in 81 matches at an average of 37.28 and an economy of 4.98. With 23 wickets at an economy of 6.98, he has stood at par in T20s too.

Bhuvi is reckoned among the best swing bowlers at the moment.

Here’s how Twitteratis wished Bhuvi on his birthday:

Here's wishing #TeamIndia member @BhuviOfficial a very happy birthday!! pic.twitter.com/L8F8xT52Fy

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 5, 2018

Wish you a very happy birthday Bhuvi!
Hope you have another year where you “swing” matches in India’s favor with both bat and ball! ??????@BhuviOfficial pic.twitter.com/N090hG8rOt

— Suresh Raina?? (@ImRaina) February 5, 2018

Happy Birthday to a Cricketer who impresses me every time he takes the field, @BhuviOfficial . May you keep shining like you have been. pic.twitter.com/JCjzKQtu02

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) February 5, 2018