Former Indian batsman and well-known commentator Aakash Chopra has expressed his disappointment that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar often does not get the same recognition as Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Trent Boult for his effectiveness with the new ball.
His comments came after Bhuvneshwar played a key role in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) thrilling 1-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 50th game of the ongoing IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 2.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) set a formidable target of 202 runs for Rajasthan Royals (RR), thanks to important knocks from Nitish Kumar Reddy (76*) and Travis Head (58*) in Hyderabad. Defending the target, Bhuvneshwar was instrumental with the ball, displaying his bowling prowess with figures of 3/41 in his four overs against RR in the IPL 2024 clash.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved dangerous for RR
Meanwhile, the Indian seamer made a significant impact from the start of the match by claiming two crucial wickets in the first over, and Chopra praised Bhuvneshwar for his early breakthroughs against RR at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Notably, Bhuvneshwar dismissed Jos Buttler with a perfectly executed outswinger, resulting in a golden duck when the RR opener made the ball slide, where Marco Jansen took a brilliant catch. The SRH pacer then played a delivery that shattered Sanju Samson’s stumps, and the RR skipper returned to the pavilion without opening his account.
He also dismissed another dangerous batsman, Rovman Pavell (27 runs off 15 balls), to help SRH restrict the RR above 200/7 to win the IPL 2024 clash by one run in Hyderabad. Impressed by Bhuvneshwar’s crucial contributions to SRH’s victory, Chopra praised his ability to strike early in the innings and set the tone for SRH’s bowling attack against RR.
In some ways, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is underrated: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “201 was a very decent total and then Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Buttler in the first over and Sanju Samson right after that, two incredible deliveries. He now has 27 wickets in the first over of the powerplay; no one has taken more than him.
However, it is somehow underrated. People talk about Trent Boult but no one talks about Bhuvi. Ok, let me say this: Death, taxes and Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking land in the first step is permanent. He proved it by doing so.”
Earlier, Bhuvneshwar won the Man of the Match award for his winning figures against RR. After the match, the senior seamer revealed that his mind was blank as he bowled the last over.
Bhuvneshwar told Star Sports: “I told everyone that the process is a very important thing. He was practically thoughtless; I wasn’t thinking about the outcome. He was just trying to do what I can do. He knew that if he could bowl just two good balls, and if he got to the last ball, he knew that anything could happen. It was a full toss, I know, and he missed it.”