“As a bowler, there are times when you do not get wickets, and you don’t have the numbers to show against your name. But never has the thought crossed my mind that I am not a confident bowler and the wickets are not coming my way.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When I started playing cricket, I knew that my physique is not at all like a typical fast bowler. My body language is also different, and I am not aggressive by nature; thus, my focus was always on my skills.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When I began, I was more of a swing bowler with little pace, but I realized it will be difficult to sustain without the pace, so my fitness has now allowed me maybe an extra yard of pace. That has been the secret of my success.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“T20 is such a format that finishes quickly, and you only have four overs. If there are three bad balls in one over, you will go for runs, and your whole analysis suffers. The team is on back foot because of three balls. So each and every ball becomes very important. It makes the bowler think.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“As a new ball bowler, it’s my job to stick to the basics.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I only have a family pack; never really felt the need for abs or something like that because, to my mind, being fit in terms of cricket is far more important than anything.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I just try to improve every series.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“We all know just bowling won’t do in modern international cricket, and we have to contribute with the bat and as a fielder, too.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I will like to take one match at a time.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Swing is my main weapon.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“All bowlers depend on movement, and I am no exception.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“If you think like a batsman, you have an upper-hand over the man you’re bowling to.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“MS has always been a bowler’s captain.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“If the keeper is standing up, in the fear of getting stumped, the batsman will not try to walk down the wicket to negate the swing.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Shankar Basu introduced me to a different type of training that eventually helped me increase my pace. That, in turn, went on to help me bowl at the death, too.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“IPL is such a tournament that you end up knowing about the strengths and weaknesses of everyone because you are playing with so many people in the same side.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I won’t say I am a premier bowler or anything, because we are all trying to work hard, and whoever gets the opportunity wants to do well.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I have natural talent when it comes to batting.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“T20 cricket is all about using variations, and timing has to be perfect.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Whatever knuckle ball I have bowled, I wanted batsmen to go after that. That way, you can get wickets, and that’s one of the main reasons why I have been successful in power plays.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It is never easy to switch between formats, but it is all about practice and preparation.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Bumrah has a different action, which creates problems for the batsmen. He has improved a lot of things with his action. He had these yorkers, and slower ones earlier as well, but he has improved a lot.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I have batted well in Tests and always wanted to do well in ODIs, too.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“How you practice in nets matters a lot.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“If you bowl good yorkers in nets and come up with good variation, it helps your on-field performance.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I think in T20, things are related to pressure, and if you handle it well, you are on top of your game. I think about process and not too much about results.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I never think that I have to be at top every time. Obviously, I have to do well in every game and series; that’s what I try to do. I try to improve and work on the swing and variation in my bowling.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“We all know that spinners dominate in Indian conditions, so it’s good if medium pacers can get at least two wickets.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It was always a dream to play Test for India, and I was very happy when I got my first wicket.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“The way I am bowling at the death, it’s all thanks to the IPL.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“You need an over to get your confidence going.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It’s most difficult to bowl with wet ball.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Preparation goes on even when you are out of the team, as you can do it anywhere.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“T20 is a game where you must expect the unexpected.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I have tried to improve on my death bowling.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“If you bowl well early in the innings, it is also important to finish well.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Being a swing bowler, bowling at the death is just an added facet in my bowling.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I used to bowl a lot at the death while bowling in the IPL, but it serves as a confidence booster that I can do a lot more with the ball at the start of the innings and at the death.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“As a bowling unit, you get a lot of confidence if the spinners and pacers are bowling as a team.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“As bowlers, we don’t worry about the wickets, whether they are flat or not.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When you create pressure in the previous over for your partner to strike, it is sometimes as satisfying as picking up a wicket yourself.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“That’s how you win matches – bowling in pairs.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“If there is someone who is able to swing the ball, I believe I have it in me to swing it a bit more than the other bowlers.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“The first thing that comes to the mind when you are touring South Africa is bouncy wickets. But that is no surety of what kind of pitch you would get in the game.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“The Kookaburra is the toughest ball to bowl with.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“You want to be consistent, and for that, you want to be fit.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“IPL is something… it’s where we polish our skills and be in form, but ODI and T20I are totally different.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“In my mind, I work out situations. Like, how I should play if I bat for four overs, or how should I approach myself if its 10 overs. These are things I work at the nets.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I am here to play cricket. No preferences at all. T20, ODI, Test – I just want to perform on every stage and prove my worth as a good bowler.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I rely on swing to get wickets, and I continue to do it that way. I have never tried to copy others.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It’s all about doing the little things right. It doesn’t matter what form of cricket you are playing. Just keep things simple, and you will succeed.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“There are many things that you just observe while watching Steyn. Just seeing him bowl is a great learning in itself.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Breaks are needed after you play a long tour.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I have improved my pace without losing on the swing. That is something I am really happy about.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“You need to plan your bowling. Whenever things are not working for you – like, if you don’t get swing – then you have to be ready with a backup plan and try something else.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It feels great that my performances in domestic cricket have been recognised.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“There is no specific formula that you need to follow to do well on certain wickets.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I don’t bowl at 140 kmph or 150 kmph, so my best chance of getting the batsmen out is by bowling in the right areas and getting it to swing.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It is definitely a good feeling to do well at Lord’s.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I have learnt a lot from Praveen Kumar.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“In the IPL, I learnt from Dale Steyn. Our bowling styles are quite different, but he is a great bowler, and you can always pick something from the way he bowls. He has given me a lot of tips during matches, which I have tried in my bowling.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It always gives you pleasure when you score runs in Test cricket.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It is always disappointing when you miss a match.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When it comes to AB de Villiers, he is the best in the world, and you have to be at your best to bowl to him.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“As a bowler, you want to go and bowl in helpful conditions in South Africa, England, and Australia. But it is also important to bowl in the right areas, and they differ from bowler to bowler, depending on conditions and the opposition.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“World Cup is a big platform.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“We all know England conditions help fast bowlers.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When it comes to batting, I have a lot of expectations from myself.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It’s true that I have got wickets with the new ball in Test matches, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t bowl with the old ball.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“People forget that I have grown up playing on Indian tracks and have bowled huge number of overs on unresponsive Indian tracks.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I am grateful to Allan Donald for his guidance and subtle nuances that he taught me.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“The Oval has always been a good batting track, and there’s not much for the bowlers.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I don’t run after speed. Obviously, it will be better to have some more pace, but I am very well aware that I can’t bowl with the speed of 150 kmph. I am working hard on my technique and variations.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“As far as I am concerned, my priority is to perform well and win matches for India.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I never thought in my dreams that I would score fifty in One-dayers: not fifty but match-winning knock because One-Day is a kind of format which doesn’t suit my batting, as I am not the kind of batsman who can hit big sixes.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When you are bowling with a new ball, there are only two fielders outside the circle. With the old ball, batsmen don’t care how many guys are outside the circle.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“In India, the wicket tends to get a bit slower once the ball gets old, but in England, it’s pretty much the same whether it’s new ball or old ball.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Stats are something which can’t define everything. It could be hiding more things than it shows.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Sometimes what happens is you’re not getting wickets; you’re going for runs. You just want to get away.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I’m no different than anyone. If you get more games, you’re in the rhythm; that gives you confidence.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Anything that a batsman cannot pick from the wrist is deception.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Almost every bowler bowls a slower ball, but not many can be deceptive. A slower ball can only be deceptive if it is different, if it is floating, swinging.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“You need wickets to be brave. When you get wickets, you can try anything. But when you don’t, you always hesitate to try a few things because it is not always about giving runs and getting wickets.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“You see teams buy a lot of batsmen for a lot of money because they are good batsmen. But you also need good bowlers to get them out or contain the runs.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When I was a youngster, Praveen Kumar was in the same club as me, and because we are similar bowlers, I learnt a lot from him. We used to have conversations, but not a lot. What was very helpful was observing what he was bowling, the kind of fields he had, and what his thinking was.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When I started out, I wasn’t a thinking bowler, but talking to seniors and coaches helped. They would always tell me that I ought to be clear about where I wanted to bowl before I ran in to bowl.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When you are playing Under-17 or U-19, the captain is of the same age as the rest of us. His knowledge was also as limited as the other players, so there was greater responsibility on the bowlers to understand themselves and their bowling, read the pitch, and set fields accordingly.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When I watch a match, I always try to understand what the batsman is trying to do so that I know what I should do to get him out.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“There has definitely been an improvement in my bowling in terms of pace and variations like the slower ball and knuckle-ball. To add to that, I have improved fitness-wise.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I have always enjoyed bowling in England because there is some swing around, which is my strength.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“It is always a good thing that whoever is getting a chance in the playing XI has been performing well.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Injuries are a part and parcel of a player’s career.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“When you are injured and undergoing rehab, it is important to stay positive and not allow negative thoughts to creep in.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“Whether you’re a batsman, bowler, or an all-rounder, fitness is tough if you follow your regimen religiously.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“If you do not have good shoes, you can get injured.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“If you have good gear and shoes, you can go for long runs and sustain yourself for a longer duration.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I’m a sports lover. Not just cricket – I play badminton and football, too. When I get some time off, I prefer to play sports rather than working out.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“As to adding variations to my white ball bowling, ever since I started playing IPL, I realised you need variations. You can’t survive on line and length. You need coaches around you who can guide you to get there. I have been lucky that I have had seniors and coaches who have helped me get there.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
“I have always said the most difficult batsman to bowl against is the man who is in form. You may have seen the best batsmen get out early when they are not in form, but an in-form batsman is difficult to dismiss.”
― Bhuvneshwar Kumar
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