Diet and discipline fuel Bhuvneshwar Kumar's return to the Indian T20 squad

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has earned a recall to India's T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand at the age of 36, completing a remarkable comeback over three years after he was dropped from the national team following the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final exit.

Training And Diet

The veteran fast bowler's return was built on rigorous physical transformation and technical changes guided by his physio Ramneesh Vohra and personal trainer Surya Yadav. Bhuvneshwar maintained a strict diet for six years, consuming zero sugar, zero gluten, and zero lactose, which helped him drop from 80 kg with 25 percent body fat to 75 kg with 16 percent body fat. Rather than chasing extra pace, he focused on regaining his swing and adjusting his foot landing at the crease to match his 2012 form.

IPL Success

This physical overhaul translated into stellar domestic performances, yielding 45 wickets at a sub-9 economy rate across two victorious IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Former Uttar Pradesh seamer Ashish Winston Zaidi praised the comeback, noting that Bhuvneshwar successfully returned to relying on swing, line, and length instead of trying to bowl too fast on difficult batting tracks.

Context

Bhuvneshwar Kumar first burst onto the international scene in December 2012 with his ability to swing the ball into right-handed batters on his debut. In modern cricket, fast bowlers often prioritize high speed over movement off the pitch, making accurate swing bowlers valuable assets during the early Powerplay overs and at the death in the T20 format.