'India did the opposite': Former opener explains why Bhuvneshwar Kumar should have played 2nd T20 vs Australia

In the rain-affected game that was shortened to 8 overs per side, India made a change in the playing XI as they went for one bowler less, and an extra batsman, and hence Bhuvneshwar Kumar was dropped for Rishabh Pant. However, Pant did not get to bat as Dinesh Karthik came ahead of him.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar missed out on the 2nd T20I vs Australia

Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The 2nd T20I between India and Australia was curtailed to 8 overs per side.
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar was rested and Rishabh Pant came in his place.
  • Pant did not get a chance to bat in the game.
After losing the first T20I of the three-match series against Australia, India came back quite strongly in the second game at Nagpur. After putting Australia to bat in the rain-curtailed 8 overs per side game, the visitors managed to put 90 runs on the board. In reply India chased down the score with 6 wickets in hand, courtesy of a 46-run knock from skipper Rohit Sharma.
In the rain-affected game that was shortened, India made a change in the playing XI as they went for one bowler less, and an extra batsman, and hence Bhuvneshwar Kumar was dropped for Rishabh Pant. However, Pant did not get to bat as Dinesh Karthik came ahead of him.
However, former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that going without Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the bowling attack was a mistake for India in the second T20I.
"Usually teams go with an extra bowler in a shortened match like this, but India did the opposite. Now, Rishabh Pant, who was the extra batter, did not get to bat and had Bhuvneshwar Kumar played, the target would have been around 80 runs," he said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
Jasprit Bumrah made his return to the playing XI after having missed the Asia Cup due to a back injury. He made a good return picking up the wicket of Aaron Finch. The pick of the bowlers was Axar Patel who finished with figures of 2/13 in. Harshal Patel however, proved to be expensive once again.
"Batting was not as easy on this pitch as it seemed. It was kind of a turning track, the cracks were quite loose, so the ball was misbehaving a bit off the surface. Axar Patel bowled phenomenally, and Bumrah looked solid on his return but Harshal Patel is still a problem," Aakash Chopra said.
With the series now level at 1-1, India will take on Australia in the third T20I at Hyderabad on Sunday (September 25) in order to win the series.
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