Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned to international cricket after four years, said that he is proud of his comeback. However, he was not chasing anything, but was only giving his best in whatever games he was playing.

The selectors added him to the T20I squad for the first time since 2022 for the five-match series against New Zealand. The veteran was magnificent for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the last two seasons of the Indian Premier League, and the decision-makers voted in his favour. Speaking after the third T20I against New Zealand, he opened on his return.

“I was not chasing anything. It is a dream, and I am not saying that I am not happy. I am very happy. It is a matter of pride to play for the country. I am feeling proud that I made a comeback. But I didn’t chase it. For four years, I played in the tournaments and kept working on my fitness,” he said.

“I never thought that I wanted to play cricket only for India’s comeback. It made things easy, and luckily I was able to perform. I think all the credit goes to the last two years of IPL. The Indian comeback happened because of that,” the 36-year-old added.

In 91 T20Is so far, he has taken 91 wickets at an average of 24.37 and an economy of 7.14, with two five-fers.

Challenging comeback for Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 17 wickets for RCB in IPL 2025 and claimed 28 scalps in the next season. However, he hasn’t been able to impress in international matches. In three games, he has picked up just one wicket at an average of 139 and an economy rate of 11.58.

Meanwhile, India have clinched the five-match series 3-0, having won three consecutive matches. The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at the Eden Park in Auckland on October 30.