Morkel's message to Bhuvneshwar: 'Block out expectations, just be you'

New Delhi. The Indian cricket team is going through a tough phase. The hosts trail 0-2 in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, and the third encounter has now become a do-or-die battle. Amid this, bowling coach Morne Morkel's statement has surfaced, in which he advised veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar to return to his natural game and bowl free of external pressure. Morkel said that the first two matches were not easy for Bhuvneshwar, who is returning to international cricket after a gap of four years, but the team management continues to have full faith in his experience and ability. Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of the third T20I, Morkel made it clear that Bhuvneshwar will not be dropped. He said, 'We hope he will get better with each game and find his rhythm. This is international cricket and the margin for error is very small. My only message to Bhuvneshwar is—don't carry the burden of expectations on your mind, just be who you are.' He added that even for an experienced player, returning after four years and stepping straight onto a big stage is not easy, but the hard work he put in at the training camp will be the foundation of his confidence. It is worth noting that Bhuvneshwar has proved very expensive in both matches of this series. He conceded 49 runs in the first match, while his cost reached 50 in the second. His economy rate across the two matches was 12.37 and he has so far managed just one wicket. By the arithmetic, nearly eight overs, 99 runs, one wicket—around 99 runs per wicket. These numbers reflect the worst performance among India's bowlers. However, Morkel, placing less importance on these numbers, says Bhuvneshwar should keep his game simple. He said, 'We expect him to find his rhythm soon. For now he just needs to focus on his bowling, because his practice time has been limited. He got limited training because of the busy schedule.' Bhuvneshwar's comeback story is also interesting. After being out of the team for nearly four years, he was picked, and he trained separately for about a month before joining the national side. On top of that, his IPL performances have been impressive. Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he took 17 wickets in the 2026 season and 28 in the following season. These are the very figures that are the main basis for Morkel's defence. The coach said that success in the IPL shows Bhuvneshwar still has the quality, and the team trusts that same ability. But cricket analysts believe it would be wrong to ignore the gap between IPL and international T20. In the IPL the bowling environment is largely favourable—pre-planned match-ups, a franchise's set plan, and support from other bowlers in the attack. At the international level, especially in a losing series, the opposition targets you directly. Analysts point out that an economy rate of 12.37 is very poor by any T20 international standard, where under 7.0 is considered excellent and above 9.5 a serious concern. As for Bhuvneshwar's technical ability, he has been known as a swing and seam bowler. At nearly 36, loss of pace is natural, and when the ball doesn't swing, he has limited big options in the form of yorkers or slower balls. Conceding 49 and then 50 runs consistently also shows that he made no change to his strategy during the series—this figure is the most important point of this article. Looking at the series context, India are 0-2 down, which means winning the third match is essential to stay alive. In such a situation, publicly backing a struggling bowler is not just a morale-boosting step but a clear signal that the selection committee is not yet in the mood to drop him. Morkel's statement also suggests the team management will play Bhuvneshwar in the third match too, to give him a chance to regain his rhythm. A major issue in this whole episode is that questions have begun to be raised about the depth of India's pace bowling. Giving a 36-year-old veteran a full four overs consistently, despite poor returns and without dropping him, suggests the team has limited options for at least a fourth seamer. This can also be linked to rotation or workload management, since the coach himself admitted that training was not complete because of the busy calendar. One angle of criticism is that despite a month of separate training, Bhuvneshwar was straightway given the full bowling burden at the international level. In cricket, rhythm matters more in swing bowling, and it comes from constant practice; in the absence of it, he could not find rhythm in the first two matches. If he again proves expensive in the third match and India lose the series, questions on the team management and selection committee are certain. On the other hand, if Bhuvneshwar finds his rhythm, it will prove the coach's trust was not misplaced. In any case, the third T20 will settle this whole debate—it will be interesting to see whether Morkel's faith becomes a burden for Bhuvneshwar or gives him new wings.