With two wickets for 19 in eight overs, Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as the Man of the Match for India in the rain-curtailed game against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. The young Indian pacer who had impressed with his skills on debut against the sub-continent neighbours, once again asked questions off the old foes.
Speaking about his continuing success against Pakistan, Kumar said, “It's not that I love to bowl against Pakistan. I have taken most of the wickets against Pakistan, so maybe that's just a coincidence.”
The pacer has been relishing the English conditions. “I am enjoying it here. I’ve always wanted to pitch up in England because the ball really swings here. We look to take the initial wickets because that puts the opposition under pressure,” he stated.
Although he has enjoyed a fair bit of success in the tournament, Kumar said that the ball hasn’t swung as much as it did back in India. However, he was pleased with the carry the England wickets offer. “There is more bounce in the wicket. Maybe it's not swinging because we're playing back‑to‑back matches on the same wickets.”
While talking about his skipper, MS Dhoni, Kumar said, “He is an old‑school and calm captain; he just wants you to do your best, just forget about anything else, what happened in the past or previous matches, just do your best in this present match.”
India are unbeaten in the tournament including their practice games and have emerged as favourties to clinch the trophy. While speaking about the experience in a tournament of this stature, Kumar said, “It's not about a big or small tournament, it's about representing your country. If you represent your country you always feel proud, you always want to do your best. Obviously it's a big tournament and it's a young team, so we understand that. We are into the semis now, so everyone is looking to win the tournament now.
“If any team does well obviously they are favourites, but now the thing is if we have to keep carrying the same amount of momentum we got from those matches.”
A key to India’s success has been their fielding. The young, new-look Indian team has been exceptional in the field, especially in their last match of the league phase. Speaking about it, Kumar said, “The fielding is one of the important parts. If you get one run-out or two brilliant catches it could change the course of the match. Even us bowlers, myself, Ishant (Sharma) and Umesh (Yadav) are working hard on the fielding.”
