The 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled his first four overs for India since November 2022 on Thursday at the Hagley Oval. The pacer went for 49 runs without claiming a wicket in the first T20I game against New Zealand. His figures were a far cry from what he has done in the IPL over the past few seasons.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik made a rather worrying admission ahead of the second game on Saturday. The 41-year-old, speaking on Cricbuzz, said, “It was the no-balls that impacted Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and he is not someone known to bowl no-balls. I don’t know why it happened, maybe due to nerves.”

The pacer conceded four runs in his opening over but was taken to the cleaners in the remaining deliveries. Kumar bowled two no-balls and two wides, and he was the only Indian bowled to overstep the line on Thursday night.

“I would put it down to the fact that he wasn’t as ready as he would want to be.

Two no-balls in a game is unheard of from Bhuvi, but if we analyse closely, he did well in his first and last overs. It was the second and third overs that cost him.”

Karthik urged the fans to be patient and back the pacer as he will come good. “Fans may be critical, but it is his first game back in international cricket, and Kumar has to realise that bowling no-balls is a habit he may not want to develop.

He knows he is better than that. But was he as good as he would have wanted to be? The answer is no.”

Ravichandran Ashwin gives his take on veteran's performance

Ravichandran Ashwin opined on Kumar’s performance. “He wasn’t as good as it should have been.

I don’t think it was really that bad. He was doing well in the first few balls, but things changed after the no-ball,” he said.

Former Chennai Super Kings star then added, “It changed the momentum, and maybe there were high expectations from him, but it will be way too early to judge. There was plenty of dew on the ground as well. People tend to judge very quickly. They have to be patient and give him time.”