'In New Zealand, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Should Be The First Choice With The New Ball; Conditions There Are Ideal For Him': Cheteshwar Pujara

After a drawn T20I series against the West Indies, Shreyas Iyer’s Indian team will be keen to secure a series win in New Zealand in the upcoming five-match T20I series. *Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’*, JioStar experts Cheteshwar Pujara and Abhishek Nayar discussed Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s deserved recall to the T20I setup and what a series win in New Zealand would mean for Iyer as captain.

Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’, JioStar expert Cheteshwar Pujara weighed in on whether Bhuvneshwar Kumar would be one of the first names in India’s playing XI in New Zealand:

“In New Zealand, I agree that he should be the first choice with the new ball, based on the conditions, because of the skill he possesses of swinging the ball. If the ball won't swing in New Zealand, where else will it swing? The conditions there are ideal for him. If there is a little help from the pitch, he can extract that movement from the pitch very well with the new ball.”

On what a series win in New Zealand would mean for Shreyas Iyer as a captain:

“When you go to New Zealand and defeat the New Zealand team, it's a big achievement. Performing well in overseas conditions for the Indian team in any format, whether it is ODIs, T20Is, or a Test match, boosts your confidence. If you do well there as a captain or as a team, your confidence goes up, that you can perform well not just in Indian conditions, but anywhere in the world.”

Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Out or Not Out', JioStar expert Abhishek Nayar heaped praise on Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his consistency across the last two TATA IPL seasons:

“In the IPL, there aren't seaming conditions, there are flat pitches. Yet, for two years, he has been bowling two overs at the top and two at the back end, the toughest phases of the game. To do that, you need experience, you need a bowler who understands the conditions and can extract the best out of those conditions, and there has never been a question about Bhuvneshwar Kumar. I am so, so happy that Bhuvi has got a chance because, for so many years, he has been the kind of bowler that Cheteshwar Pujara was as a batter. You don't notice them until you notice them. When you go and open their stats, you see performance and consistency, whether they are playing domestic cricket, the DY Patil tournament, or the IPL. So, I'm very happy that he's in the team.”

On the Shreyas Iyer-Suryakumar Yadav comparisons:

“It's not about whether he's worthy or not in comparison to Surya, because, at that time, India played a lot of series in India. They didn't travel a lot. After Shreyas Iyer took up captaincy, they've gone to England, and now they're going to New Zealand. So, a lot of the T20Is have been played away from home, in Zimbabwe and Japan. I remember that, building up to the T20 World Cup, we were playing a lot more at home and in subcontinental conditions than away. So, that comparison is out of the way. Whenever you go to New Zealand and win in foreign conditions, I think that captain will feel in control of the team and earn the respect of everyone around him, because that's where you are judged the most. So, if you win, like they say, it's a star on your chest, going to New Zealand and winning the series. It didn't happen in England, but it happened here, if it does happen. So, it will be one of those things for him personally, that 'I can win abroad as well' as a captain.”

Watch the latest episode of ‘Out or Not Out’, exclusively on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.

Full video link: https://www.hotstar.com/in/shows/out-or-not-out/1271548094/ind-vs-nz-t20i-special/1271716211/watch

Published on: Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 06:28 PM IST