IND vs SA | "He was just brilliant" - Gavaskar heaps praise on Bhuvi

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has heaped high praise on veteran swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar following the UP bowler's stellar show (4/13 in 4 overs) in the second T20I against South Africa in Cuttack.

Bhuvi was at his imperious best on Sunday night as he got the ball to talk both in the air and off the surface under helpful conditions at the Barabati Stadium.

The champion pacer knocked over Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius and the hero of the 1st game, Rassie van der Dussen at the cost of just nine runs in the powerplay to give his side a near-perfect start in their defence of 148.

Speaking on Star Sports after the rest of the Indian bowlers squandered the start provided by Kumar to concede a 0-2 deficit, Gavaskar hailed the seamer for exploiting the conditions to the hilt.

He also praised captain Rishabh Pant for giving Kumar another over in the powerplay after he had bowled two. Bhuvi proceeded to dismiss RVD in his 3rd over.

"He was just brilliant. The white ball doesn't swing that much, in the air or off the surface, but he has got that capability. And that is why it was very good captaincy from Rishabh Pant to give him that third over in which he got a wicket as well. Because after that, the ball wouldn't have moved that much as well, and Bhuvneshwar would have been ineffective," said Gavaskar.

The former opener further added that Bhuvneshwar's form is a good sign for Team India ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, where he feels the latter will be extremely potent.

"But to have someone like him in Australia, where there will that little bit of more carry and bounce, I think that will be a huge plus." 

Bhuvneshwar has staged a brilliant redemption in the last 7-to 8 months after a difficult couple of years where he struggled with constant injuries.

He endured a poor IPL 2021 and played just one game at the World Cup, conceding 25 runs in three overs against Pakistan.

Since the World Cup, Kumar has been India's leading wicket-taker in the format- 13 wickets in 9 games an economy and strike rate of 18.15/7.37.

Indian fans and the management will hope that the veteran seamer continues the excellent work in the upcoming assignments.