India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has urged Bhuvneshwar Kumar to set aside public expectation and concentrate on his own game ahead of the third T20I against New Zealand at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday, October 29, 2026. India holding a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after both opening games in Christchurch.
Across the first two matches, Bhuvneshwar conceded 49 runs in the opening game and 50 in the second, finishing with an economy rate of 12.37, the poorest among India's bowlers in the series. His only wicket across those two outings came in the second T20I, when he dismissed Daryl Mitchell. Morkel was candid about the circumstances surrounding the 36-year-old pacer, who is approaching 37.
"Look, I've got a lot of sympathy for his return. The reason why I say that is, one, there will be expectation after four years to come out. He's done exceptionally well in the IPL. He's bowled really well. One is to block the expectation factor out. Two, leading into his selection, I mean, there was a month of cricket where, yes, he trained, but this is a different beast coming and playing international cricket where the margins are small. So he had to come in with limited training because of the schedule to get himself ready," Morkel said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the third T20I, as quoted by Cricinfo.
Morkel was equally clear that Bhuvneshwar's ability is not in question. He said his message to the pacer from the moment he joined the squad had been consistent.
"So the skill and his experience, everything is there. But at the end of the day, we have to respect the game of cricket and you have to be able to allow him to just find his feet in some of the games. And for me, that has been the message from the start when he joined the squad, is to, you know, don't chase anything. Just be you. Yes, there will be expectations. But just every game you'll get better and every game you'll find your rhythm. So let's not think about any outside noises. Just be you and connect with that," he added.
Bhuvneshwar's last appearance in any format for India before his T20I against West Indies in Bengaluru earlier this month was in November 2022. He forced his way back into contention after back-to-back productive IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, picking up 17 wickets in one campaign and 28 in the next as the franchise won consecutive titles.
Why did India swap their third quick bowler between the two Christchurch T20Is?
In the two T20Is in Christchurch, India rotated their third seamer. Mayank Yadav played the first game and returned figures of 1 for 40, while Prince Yadav came in for the second match and finished with 1 for 30. Morkel explained the reasoning behind that change. Morkel was careful to stress that Mayank's omission was not a reflection of his performance. He noted that giving a young bowler time away from the game to reflect and understand his craft was not necessarily a negative outcome.
"That was just purely a tactical sort of change we felt was needed at that venue. It's no secret that Prince, at the death first, bowling his yorkers, he's somebody that executes that quite well. And it was sort of just felt that if we - the learnings from the game one - had to bowl second and the ball is wet and, you know, taking into consideration the dimensions of the field, to be one of the guys with a high percentage of nailing the yorkers. And then Prince, obviously, you know, he can bowl fast, again, in all phases of the game. And his execution is just slightly higher," Morkel said.
How will Wellington's fierce wind affect India's preparations for the third T20I?
Wellington presents India with a challenge beyond the opposition. The city is unofficially known as the 'windiest city in the world' and conditions are particularly severe at present, with the waterfront closed after cyclists were knocked off their bikes by gusty winds. Rain is also forecast for match day at Hnry Stadium. Morkel, who played two Test matches at Wellington's Basin Reserve during his career with South Africa, acknowledged the conditions would be unlike anything most of the current India squad had encountered.
"This is a different beast, this wind. I was in the hotel this morning and the whole building was sort of shaking. So I think it's going to be a new sort of thing that we add to our books for the guys to get used to and accustomed with, with a quick turnaround. But yeah, for us, again, it is looking forward to that challenge and taking it head-on and not really making excuses. You're either going to see it as a challenge or you're going to see it as a negative or it's going to let you down. And hopefully we can get those guys in the mental space where they look forward to that challenge. And at the end of the day, you need somebody to put their hand up and bowl into the wind because we can't have four guys bowling with the wind," Morkel said.
