Former India opener WV Raman believes the country’s other fast bowlers have not done enough to prevent veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar from returning to the T20I side, while urging the fast-bowling coach to devote more time to developing young players outside the international cricket calendar.

Bhuvneshwar earned his India T20I recall after nearly four years following an outstanding IPL 2026 campaign, in which he played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s successful title defence with 28 wickets. He finished as the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker, one behind Kagiso Rabada.

His last international appearance came in a T20I against New Zealand in November 2022. Across 87 T20Is for India, Bhuvneshwar has claimed 90 wickets at an average of 23.10 and an economy rate of 6.96.

Raman said Bhuvneshwar deserved credit for forcing his way back through performance, but his recall also raised questions about the consistency of India’s other pace options.

“The other fact of the matter is that the bowlers, yes, it’s easy to say that they’ve been leaking runs, but they’ve been playing on plump batting tracks,” Raman said during a virtual interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network.

He added that if the team was entering a transition phase, the coaching staff needed to ensure promising fast bowlers received sustained technical and tactical attention.

“It’s very critical if you’re talking about young fast bowlers who have the raw pace, who have the talent, they need to be really worked upon,” he said, stressing that additional time with the bowling coach could help prepare them for international cricket.

Raman noted that India had several quick bowlers but had struggled to find consistency as players were rotated through the attack.

Test combination crucial for New Zealand series

Looking ahead to India’s two-Test series in New Zealand, Raman said the team needed to learn from the selection mistakes made during its home campaign. He contrasted India’s 2-2 draw in England, where conditions offered limited swing and seam movement, with the difficulties faced at home, where he felt the team had not selected the right combination.

With India still competing for a place in the World Test Championship final, Raman called for a bowling attack capable of taking all 20 opposition wickets rather than prioritising a batting-heavy playing XI.

He argued that sufficient bowling resources would give India a chance to win even if the batters fell short of a substantial total.

Raman also said the absence of Hardik Pandya was affecting India’s balance, pointing to the all-rounder’s ability to contribute with both bat and ball. He cited injuries and inconsistent results as challenges in developing alternatives, including Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube.

Raman backs approach to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

On teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remaining on the bench despite being included in the T20I squad, Raman backed the team management’s approach of allowing the youngster time to prepare.

He said the priority should be to build a strong foundation so that a young player is ready to make the most of his opportunity when selected.

Raman also discussed Smriti Mandhana’s appointment as India women’s all-format captain, replacing Harmanpreet Kaur. He praised Harmanpreet for leading India to a historic World Cup triumph and said Mandhana’s challenge would be to maintain the team’s aggressive, confident approach while raising standards further.

India’s T20I series against Zimbabwe begins in Raipur on Friday, while the men’s tour of New Zealand starts on October 22.