'Where did selectors go wrong?' Ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan questions Bhuvneshwar Kumar's T20I recall

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has hit out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors for playing veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the recently concluded five-T20I series against New Zealand. India won the series 3-2 with Bhuvi, who made his comeback after four years, playing four matches. The performance, however, was not good from Kumar as he ended up giving away 180 runs across four matches for just one wicket. He was called back after his brilliant performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL, where he helped the side win back-to-back titles in 2025 and 2026.

Pathan questions selectors for playing Kumar vs NZ

"In my opinion, where did the selectors go wrong? They made a mistake by playing Bhuvneshwar Kumar in this series. Look, there is no doubt that Bhuvneshwar is a good bowler and a senior player. However, playing him here, when the T20 World Cup is nowhere near, was questionable. If you were preparing Bhuvneshwar for the 50-over World Cup, which is closer, that would have made sense," Irfan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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"I'm not saying this because Bhuvneshwar didn't perform well. That's not the case. Although he was a bit unlucky, he bowled well in his first two overs, but later, when he bowled the final over of the powerplay, he conceded runs. These things happen to any player. There is no question about his skill," he added.

Bhuvneshwar's performance vs NZ

In the first T20I, Bhuvi gave away 49 runs in his four overs without a wicket before taking a solitary wicket in the second T20I for 50 runs. In the next two T20Is, the swing bowler gave away 40 and 41 runs, respectively, without taking a wicket.

As for his overall India record, he has played 92 T20Is and has taken 91 wickets since his debut in 2012. In the IPL, Bhuvneshwar has played 206 matches and taken 226 wickets, the most by any pacer and second overall only to spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's 233 wickets.