Former Indian bowler Ravichandran Ashwin recently grabbed headlines when he said that he would keep Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 2027 ODI World Cup squad. The 39-year-old made these comments while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo. “Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a yes. I would communicate with him. I will make sure he plays all the tournaments, first-class, Vijay Hazare, everything, before going to South Africa. I think we will need him there,” R Ashwin said.
The veteran pacer, for his part, is not thinking about a national recall as he revealed during his chat with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru podcast called Life in Cricket. The 36-year-old, when asked about his chances of playing for the national side, said, “I am at peace and give the credit to my family. We never speak about the game at home, nor do we chat about my chances of making a return to the Indian side. There is no regret. When you are part of a side, the mentality is that the team comes first, but when you aren’t there, there is a feeling that maybe I should still be there.”
The pace bowler picked up 28 wickets this IPL 2026 season and finished only behind Kagiso Rabada, who took 29 scalps. Many fans and experts urged the national selectors to give the veteran a recall to the side. His last game for the Indian side was a T20I against New Zealand at Napier in late 2022. Till now, he has played 229 international games and claimed 294 wickets.
Veteran seamer not focused on India comeback
Having made his debut in 2012, the seamer saw a lot of ups and downs over the course of his India career in the next ten years. Bhuvi was asked if he fancied a return to the national side during the RCB podcast. “I have already played for India, and that’s something which I don’t have to achieve anymore. It would be great if another chance to play for India comes my way,” he said.
He also added, “Everything I am doing right now is for the love of the game. I know I have to stay disciplined, still play domestic cricket and the UP T20 League, still play enough to keep myself fit and in touch with the game, and also give enough breaks to be refreshed and recover.”
The veteran also paid homage to former skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri for the decision to invest in pace bowlers and also praised IPL for its efforts. “Have to give a lot of credit to the league for giving exposure to fast bowlers, and also giving them a chance to play top-level cricket. Kohli and Shastri had a long-term vision, where they asked for wickets that suited fast bowling in India, keeping in mind the overseas tours. Such small decisions matter a lot.”