‘This was my last World Cup’: Bhuvneshwar Kumar reveals why hopes of India’s comeback faded | cricket news

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has once again found himself at the center of conversations surrounding the Indian team after two impressive seasons in IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.The veteran pacer has not played for India since November 2022, but his performances in RCB’s back-to-back IPL title-winning campaigns have revived calls for his return. Bhuvneshwar took 17 wickets in IPL 2025 before producing an even better campaign in 2026, claiming 28 wickets at an average of 17.89. He finished just one wicket away from winning the Purple Cap for a record third time.The 36-year-old has repeatedly downplayed expectations of a recall in India. However, speaking to Jatin Sapru on his YouTube channel, Bhuvneshwar admitted that he feels he deserves another chance in the national team.“Of course,” he told Sapru.But the pacer immediately emphasized that India’s comeback is not the only motivation behind his cricket.“I don’t play to prove anything, but I would be happy to play for India again.”

Bhuvneshwar no longer waiting for India’s call

Bhuvneshwar, who last represented India in the T20I series in New Zealand in November 2022, said he had reached a stage where another omission would no longer affect him.“I’m over that time where I used to wait for the next series,” he said.After the New Zealand tour, the pacer initially believed that the selectors could bring him back into the team. He had received a call from team management and took it as a possible indication that he would be considered for the next two series.That expectation, however, did not materialize.“Even a few series,” he said when asked if he expected to return to the Indian side after the New Zealand tour. “Because I had received a call. What they said, based on that I felt like maybe the next two series. But then I realized that’s not what they said.“It wasn’t painful, because then I knew what was happening and I made peace with it. It wasn’t easy, but family played an important role,” he added.

Bhuvneshwar knew that the 2022 World Cup could be his last

Bhuvneshwar also revealed that he had already felt that India’s World Cup career might be over after the team’s semi-final loss to England in Adelaide in the 2022 T20 World Cup.After returning to his room after the defeat, he called his wife Nupur and told her that he believed it was his last World Cup for India.“In Adelaide it happened. I came to my room and told my wife. I told it from my experience. In the dressing room, everyone was disappointed. There were some reports before we left. But when I went back to my room I told Nupur that this was my last World Cup. Because what I have seen in my experience, when you lose a tournament like this, the selectors want to look forward, and that’s fair,” he said.Bhuvneshwar’s last appearance for India came in Napier in November 2022, shortly after the team’s elimination in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in Australia. While he initially hoped for another opportunity, he eventually accepted that the selectors were looking ahead to the next cycle.However, his recent IPL form has put his name back into the conversation around India’s T20I setup.