Watch: ‘I hope he…’ – Rohit Sharma shares his thoughts on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback to India’s T20I side

Rohit Sharma shared his thoughts on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback to India’s T20I side on his new show, 'Family Full House with Rohit Sharma'. The former India captain expressed hope that the experienced pacer would perform well in the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Bhuvneshwar has returned to the Indian team after a four-year absence. He was included in the squad for the fifth T20I against the West Indies and was also named in the playing XI. However, rain forced the match to be abandoned without him bowling a single over.

Bhuvneshwar will now look to make an impact in the series against New Zealand, which begins on October 22. Speaking about the pacer on his show, Rohit said, “We will head to New Zealand. I'm hopeful he will deliver an outstanding performance.” 

Watch the viral video here.

Rohit Sharma reacts to Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to India’s T20I Squad 

Rohit Sharma shared a heartfelt message for Bhuvneshwar Kumar on his show, Family Full House with Rohit Sharma, ahead of India’s T20I series against New Zealand. Bhuvneshwar is set to play his second match since returning to the Indian team at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Bhuvneshwar was part of Rohit Sharma’s team during the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. India reached the semi-finals but suffered a disappointing 10-wicket defeat against England and failed to reach the final.

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After the World Cup, Bhuvneshwar travelled to New Zealand with the Indian team but was dropped from the squad after the series. Now, following a four-year absence, the experienced pacer has returned to the T20I side and will look to make the most of his opportunity in the upcoming matches.

What Rohit Sharma said about Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback 

During an episode of Family Full House with Rohit Sharma, Rohit Sharma spoke with Bollywood actor Chunky Panday about actor Akshaye Khanna. Chunky mentioned Khanna’s success after the film Dhurandhar and noted that he had stayed away from the limelight for some time.

Praising Akshaye Khanna as an actor, Rohit compared his career journey to that of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The Indian pacer had been out of the national team since November 2022 before making his recent return to the T20I squad.

See also -Bhuvneshwar Kumar likely to make comeback to India's T20I squad for New Zealand tour: Reports

Rohit also expressed his hope that Bhuvneshwar would perform well on India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand. “New Zealand tour is coming up. I hope he (Bhuvneshwar) performs really well,” Rohit said on the show.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s India return: What happens next against New Zealand

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s impressive performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL have helped him earn another call-up to the Indian team. Despite being signed for ₹10.75 crore, the experienced pacer faced doubts about his chances of returning to the national side. However, he answered his critics with the ball, taking 17 wickets in 14 matches in IPL 2025 and 28 wickets in 16 matches in IPL 2026.

Bhuvneshwar’s return is a reward for his consistent performances in the T20 format. He has taken 90 wickets in 88 T20Is for India and will look to make an impact in the upcoming series against New Zealand. He last played an ODI during India’s tour of South Africa in 2022 and has not featured in a Test match since January 2018.

India will begin the New Zealand T20I series with Shreyas Iyer as captain. The squad also includes Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy, among others. Bhuvneshwar will aim to make the most of this opportunity and strengthen his position in India’s T20I setup with strong performances in the series.

India's T20I squad for New Zealand series

Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi