Ajinkya Rahane says selectors must have talked about the World Cup while picking Bhuvneshwar Kumar for NZ T20Is

Former Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane reckons the selectors must have talked about the World Cup while picking Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the T20I series against New Zealand. Kumar was added to India’s squad on Tuesday after his impressive performances in IPL 2026 for RCB. 

The swing master scalped 28 wickets in 16 matches of the previous season and played a key role in taking RCB to glory. Rahane believes head coach Gautam Gambhir would want experienced players like Bhuvneshwar in the ODI World Cup squad and added Kumar’s experience will be useful in New Zealand conditions for the upcoming tour.

“Now the ball is coming better out of his hands than before. The experience that you get from him, will always be useful. In a place like New Zealand, in such conditions, his experience will be very useful, it will come in handy. Well done to Bhuvi, but well done to the selectors as well. Since he has been brought in the team, they must have thought of something. They must have talked about the World Cup, that if he does well now, there is a chance for him at the World Cup. I am sure Gautam Gambhir wishes that he has an experienced bowler like him,” Ajinkya Rahane said on his YouTube channel.

Rahane, who recently announced his retirement, expressed his surprise over Kumar’s selection but at the same time, he was happy for the veteran seamer.

“Frankly, I was not expecting this, but I am really happy for Bhuvi. When it was announced, I was so happy that I can’t even tell you. We have played a lot of cricket together, and I want to congratulate the selectors for making such a call. This shows that the other players in that age group of 36 to 38 years, will still feel motivated and will believe that they can also make a comeback,” Ajinkya Rahane said.

“Look at the way he has been playing for the last 3-4 years. The passion and the intensity with which he was playing in the IPL and in domestic cricket, we all saw that. We know that he always gives his 100 percent. He never showed it. Many times what happens is that when a player is dropped, you get disappointed, but he just kept doing his work. It is not an easy task to make a comeback at the age of 36,” he concluded.

India’s tour of New Zealand starts on October 22 with the first T20I at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.