"When I was in eighth or ninth standard...": Bhuvneshwar Kumar recalls his beginnings as a cricketer

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 7 (ANI): Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Wednesday opened up on his beginnings as a cricketer during his school days and how he developed as a dependable lethal swing bowler.
Bhuvneshwar was speaking in a video posted on RCB's official X handle. The 'Swing King', as he is known by his fans, last played for India in a T20I against New Zealand in November 2022. Since then, younger pacers like Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Mayank Yadav etc have been given chances to play alongside stars like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj etc.

In his Indian career, since his debut in 2012, he has taken 294 wickets in 229 matches at an average of 29.50, with best figures of 6/82.
Speaking in the video, Bhuvneshwar said that it was during his days in eighth or ninth standard that he went to a stadium for the first time, unaware of the fact that cricket had specific roles, such as a bowler, batter or an all-rounder and felt he could do anything.

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐯𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫 ☄

Swing King Bhuvi opens up on his journey to becoming one of India’s finest pacers - the importance of backing instincts, being proactive, staying one step ahead of… pic.twitter.com/PdhlTEtbWV

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 7, 2025

"When I was in my 8th or 9th standard and I went to the stadium for the first time, my coach asked me what do you do? I said everything, because I was not aware of the concept of a bowler or batter or all-rounder. So, I had gone with the mindset from gully cricket, that I can do everything. When I saw that everyone comes there to bat, and they say that they are batters. And when I said, "I can do everything" the coach thought a bowler had arrived and said, "Go bowl". So that is how the journey started," recalled Bhuvneshwar.
The veteran said that his ability to swing the ball comes naturally and was not taught to him by anyone.
"The coaches noticed that he has something different or something good. Generally, when you are new, the coaches would not give you the new ball for bowling, for obvious reasons, because you are new. But when he saw that I can swing the ball, he started giving me the new ball to practice with in the nets. Then, when he felt that I had reached the age where I could understand something about bowling, then the coaches started teaching me things and giving me inputs," he added.
A turning point of his cricketing career came when he dismissed Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar for a duck during the Ranji Trophy final between Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai in the 2008-09 season, and from there, a lot changed for him.
"Being an Indian, I grew up watching him, I admired him and then to take his wicket, was a very big moment for me. It is difficult to explain. I bowled, and there was no real swing. But generally, it is said that if it is destined to happen then it will happen. I got the wicket. There was an inside edge , and the catch went to the fielder who was just behind the short-leg position - it is not even a proper fielding position probably, but the fielder was there and the ball went to his hand," he added.
Bhuvneshwar also revealed what went through his mind when he was selected for the Indian team for the first time ever, that too for a series against Pakistan in December 2012.
"At that time, the Ranji Trophy was going on, and we were playing Vidarbha when the team was announced. We were bowling at that time and someone told me that I had been selected for the Indian team for the series against Pakistan. Of course, I was very happy and it is hard to describe the feeling, and there were a lot of emotions at that time. And when you have worked so hard, and then you receive the debut call-up for the India team, you feel very good that whatever hard work you have put in till now has paid off. But again, it is the start of a journey. The dream of wanting to play for India is now realised, but the dream of playing for India for a long period - that journey is just beginning," he concluded.
RCB is in second place with eight wins and three losses, giving them 16 points. They will play Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Friday. (ANI)