Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back, four years on, with the 2027 World Cup in view

The decision to include Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the T20I squad for tour of New Zealand might have come out of the blue. But the call-up has been gathering pace over the last three months, particularly after the 36-year-old's IPL 2026, where he took 28 wickets and finished one behind Kagiso Rabada in the race for the purple cap. It was during the tour of the UK, after Harshit Rana picked up an injury again, that Bhuvneshwar's name started doing the rounds.

It is close to four years since Bhuvneshwar last played for India. It was not a case of him suddenly losing his place: his last Test was in January 2018, his last ODI in January 2022, and by November that year he was out of the T20I set-up as well. In the domestic circuit, his appearances of late have been limited to the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and the IPL, where he has bowled Royal Challengers Bengaluru to successive titles. The India call-up still appeared far-fetched.

But here he is again, back in India's T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand, and not because the first-choice players are busy with other commitments. There is a big picture that India's team management is hoping Bhuvneshwar will help complete. With India clearly short on balance, there are conversations around the possibility of making the seamer part of the 2027 World Cup. While there is little to no doubt regarding Bhuvneshwar's skills and what he offers with the ball, the only question is whether his body can take the load of playing ODI cricket again. He last played the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2023, and if he is to be considered seriously for next year's World Cup in southern Africa, it is understood that India want to see where he stands in terms of fitness and whether he can take the extra load.

He knows it himself, and he wants another World Cup. "100 per cent. You can't beat the feeling of playing in a World Cup, whichever sport it may be," he told Jatin Sapru's YouTube channel recently. "My body is ready. I've physio and trainer at home. At this moment, I'm ready. I'm training, but not keeping the 50-over World Cup on mind, but because I want to. If the selection happens I would be happy. If it doesn't happen, I won't be disappointed," he said.

At the end of a long conversation, asked what he might have changed about his career, Bhuvneshwar paused and said where it went wrong. "I would have hired the trainer and physio a while back. I wish they were there much earlier with me," he said. Whether that lack of work off the field is why successive team managements looked past him, despite what he brought to the table, is a fair question.

But over the last couple of years, the work he has put in has shown in the middle. He has looked unplayable, making the new ball talk with the movement. From Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli, there has been admiration for how Bhuvneshwar exposed batsmen from different eras with his movement off the new ball: the wobble seam landing on the surface and moving either way, as he intended.

Off the field, Bhuvneshwar appeared more spiritual, a believer in destiny. "When I was young, everything was about cricket, want to play for India and take all wickets. But over the years it has changed. I don't recall a game where I went in thinking I've to take five wickets and I did. So I'm someone who believes in destiny. What is written for me will happen. My focus is always on preparation. I've become more spiritual," he said.

He had stopped thinking about comebacks, but he firmly believed he was still a player worth considering.

"Of course," he said when asked if he should be part of the selection conversations. "I'm not playing to prove anything, but I'd be happy to play for India again. I've packed my India jersey and kept it. I'm emotional at the same time I'm not emotional. I won't keep looking at the jersey. I wasn't hurt, and I knew what was happening. I was at peace. My family played a big part in keeping it easy. They don't say anything. They just carried on with daily routine so that played a big part for me," he said of the years he spent in the wilderness.

Now, out of nowhere, Bhuvneshwar has an opening. Rarely does Indian cricket go back to a cricketer, particularly a fast bowler, it believed it had moved on from, after four long years. But then not all are Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

"I have changed a lot as a bowler. When I came in, I'd swing, but not much of pace. Without pace, to survive in the death overs with accuracy and perfection isn't possible. I always felt I'd to increase the pace, but didn't know how to do it. So the big difference now is pace. It comes with experience. There is a big difference between what I was and what I'm now," he said.