'Things weren't going well' - Bhuvneshwar Kumar reveals why he felt the need to increase his pace

There are different varieties of pitches and grounds around the world. Certain conditions and pitches favour the swing while few assist bounce and so on. Most Indian bowlers have not been known to bowl at great speeds but are quite well known for their ability to and variate the pace.

The art of swinging the ball is unique and Indian bowlers have been able to master this art. Bhuvneshwar Kumar entered into the cricketing arena as a pretty good swing bowler. His ability to swing the ball in Indian conditions where the conditions don’t exactly suit the swing bowlers was a sensation. His bowling performance against Pakistan in the early days of his career made him a star at the international level.

However, the game of cricket is an ever-evolving sport. Batsmen find numerous ways to counter-attack the skills of the star bowler in the opposition. And Bhuvi was definitely one of the star bowlers representing India but the batting side found ways to nullify the swing attack of Bhuvi while nullifying the ‘x-factor’.

‘I didn’t have that rhythm in my bowling’: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Soon, Bhuvneshwar– the swing expert– was not able to produce the same performances he had delivered in the early stage of his career. That was when he realized that he had to improvise his skills and evolve as a pace bowler. Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened up in an interview on Cricbuzz.

“When I arrived, I could swing the ball because I played the Ranji Trophy with the red SG ball, [which] is known for its tendency to swing, So I had become used to it. The first year was very good as my swing earned me plenty of wickets, but eventually, because I didn’t have too much pace, batsmen were able to adjust. Then I started getting hit for runs.”

“At some stage, you realize you need to change something, and I felt I needed to increase my pace. I didn’t have that rhythm in my bowling and things weren’t going well. But then I began training and that helped me. Unknowingly, my pace increased,” said the pacer.

It is told as the survival of the fittest and in this case, it was the same for Bhuvi. He had to acknowledge his weak spot and had to intensively work on it amid his injuries.

“I struggled for one or two series because I wasn’t used to bowling at that pace. So the ball wouldn’t swing. Because I wasn’t used to it, the body felt an extra load and I had to deal with a few injuries and niggles. But in the time off, I began to figure things out in terms of what was happening and how I could come back from it.” he explained.

Though it has been an on-off career for Bhuvi, his realization was the key to his survival. His ability to adapt and keep a keen focus on that aspect really helped him be a better bowler as the constant need to change and to be flexible is the key to success in cricket.