Bhuveshwar Kumar was benched for the third T20I vs England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Sunday. With the series already won, India tested their bench strength. Along with the pacer, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah were also dropped as Shreyas Iyer, Avesh Khan, Umran Malik and Ravi Bishnoi got a place in the playing 11. 

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Kumar was on fire in the second T20I vs England. The pacer, known for swinging the ball both ways, returned with figures of 3/15 and was named the player of the match. After posting a 171-run target, India dismissed England for 121 runs and won by 49 runs. 

Bhuvi’s match-winning spell was aided by Jasprit Bumrah (2/10) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/10). Harshal Patel and Hardik Pandya picked one wicket each.

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Talking about the swing he got initially, Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the post-match press conference said, “Honestly I don’t know that (why the ball is swinging). Because I’ve been here quite a few times and it didn’t swing in the last few series I’ve played here. So yes, even I was very surprised that the white ball is swinging and swinging for a long period of time, especially in the T20 format. And that there’s more bounce in the wicket as well. So yes, when the ball swings you enjoy more.”

The 32-year-old was also asked about a ‘weak bowler’ in the current Indian arsenal

“Ek match mein agar maar padd gayi toh aap hi weak bowler dhundengey. Woh aap agle match mein dhund lena (If a bowler gets hit for runs, you guys will identify him as a weak bowler. Try finding him in the next game),” he quipped.

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He further spoke about dismissing England captain Jos Buttler. The pacer dismissed the explosive opener in both T20Is. 

“He (Buttler) is a dangerous player and if he goes past the powerplay, he can score big. If the ball swings it motivates you to do well and I am confident right now.”