Tim Southee is an authority on swing bowling.

Ahead of India’s multi-format tour of New Zealand, the former Kiwi pacer shared his thoughts on all things fast bowling and much more.

On Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s recall to the Indian T20I squad, Southee said: “He’ll be thrilled to have another opportunity, which he probably didn’t think was going to come. He’s a very skilful and experienced bowler. And Bhuvneshwar probably knows his game better than he ever has. He’s still bowling extremely well in the best franchise competition in the world, the IPL… he’ll have a big impact.”

Bumrah and Siraj will be a handful in New Zealand.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Bumrah factor

For all of Jasprit Bumrah’s global dominance, New Zealand has been a bugbear for the pace ace in the longest format. He has lost all five Tests, returning nine wickets at an average of 45.44 (career: 19.79) and strike-rate of 92.8 (42.8).

“New Zealand has played Bumrah incredibly well in Test cricket. I don’t think Bumrah has played in an Indian team that’s beaten New Zealand. I’m a big fan of Mohammed Siraj and the way he bowls. He could be a handful if he can get his length right. There’s a lot to like about Siraj in particular. There’s no reason why the other bowlers in and around Bumrah won’t be able to trouble the New Zealand batters,” Southee said during a virtual interaction on Thursday.

On the challenges facing India’s top-order in early-season Kiwi conditions, Southee said: “When you’re playing in India, arguably the easiest time to bat is with the new ball before it starts to turn. In New Zealand, it’s almost the other way around… the hardest time to bat is with the new ball.”

The 37-year-old also gave his prediction for the two-Test series.

“There will be a bit of weather around.. I’ll go 1-0 to New Zealand.”

(Watch India tour of New Zealand live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV starting October 22).

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s inclusion in the T20I squad for the New Zealand series created enough buzz to spill into India’s press conference ahead of the second T20I against the West Indies — a good two weeks before the Men in Blue take on the Kiwis.

Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak is neither a selector nor a bowling expert, yet he obliged when asked about the reasons behind the 36-year-old’s recall.

“The obvious thing is it’s the selectors [who made the decision]. I can give you an answer on what I think. In England, I felt we needed experience along with the young bowlers as Jasprit Bumrah was also not available there. We all know that you can’t beat experience,” Kotak said at the JSCA Stadium on Thursday (October 8, 2026).

“Bhuvneshwar has been doing really well in the IPL for the last two seasons, so the selectors must have thought that he would be useful in New Zealand,” he elaborated.

When asked if Mohammed Shami had a similar chance, Kotak explained: “If the selectors feel that he is doing well and the team has a requirement, then any player can be selected.”

The BCCI’s decision to include Centre of Excellence head V.V.S. Laxman in selection meetings has been another raging topic.

“I believe the BCCI took that decision for a purpose. I have worked with Laxman for three years in the CoE. He used to tell us that if the Indian team has any requirement, then our first duty is to do it. We used to postpone our leaves if an important player [came to the CoE] and the Indian team wanted him immediately. That’s how committed Laxman is. So, whatever role he will be in, I am sure that Laxman will think about what is best for Indian cricket”.

Veteran India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) returned to the national side nearly four years since his last appearance for the upcoming five-match T20I series, to be played in New Zealand later this month.

The squad announced by the BCCI — first after the exit of former chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and with Pragyan Ojha as interim chair — also has Varun Chakravarthy making a comeback after an injury had ruled him out of the Asian Games.

India will play five T20Is from October 22 to November 1 in New Zealand. The first match of the series is at Christchurch on October 22, followed by second on October 22 at the same venue.

The third T20I, on October 27, will be played at Wellington while the fourth and fifth T20Is will be on October 30 and November 1 at Auckland and Hamilton respectively.

India will also play a five-match ODI series and two-Test series after the T20I affair.

India’s T20I squad:

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

India A squad:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant* [WK], Dhruv Jurel [C] [WK], Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudarsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar. 

Quietly steering clear of the turbulence and distractions surrounding the league, defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the first side to secure a playoff berth.

Despite the team’s impressive run, RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat dismissed suggestions that the franchise had somehow “cracked the code” of the tournament, sticking to the ‘taking-it-one-day-at-a-time’ cliche.

The Englishman, however, lavished praise on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returns to the venue he called home for 11 seasons.

“He knows this surface and ground well, so we’ve been picking his brains a little bit over the last few days just to understand things.

“And as always, he’s trying to help everyone around him. He has a calming influence on the whole team. We get huge value out of him,” he said.

Bobat also felt that Bhuvneshwar has unlocked another gear this season.

“Everybody knows his skills, he swings the ball both ways, he’s got incredible control and accuracy. I think he’s gone up a level this year even compared to last year. He’s a very calm and composed figure at the death, a bit like Josh Hazelwood and Rasikh Salam Dar have been.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad may have turned a corner with its bowling, but Bobat reiterated that they remain stronger with the willow.

“They’ve got a reputation, and rightly so, as a dangerous batting unit. I really enjoy the way they go about their batting, it kind of aligns with how I like teams to play, so it’s always fun watching them play. They’ve got some high-calibre players”.

Comfort has eluded Delhi Capitals at home in IPL’s 19th edition. The Axar Patel-led franchise has won just one out of five matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. On its visits to other venues, it has fared much better, notching up three wins in five games.

Contributing to the travails at home has been the large deviation in the nature of surfaces, hindering DC from cultivating a consistent style of play in its backyard.

The last three matches in the national capital make for pertinent examples. Having engaged in a run-fest against Punjab Kings on a featherbed where Shreyas Iyer’s side chased down a record 265 on April 25, 2026, Capitals’ duel against Royal Challengers Bengaluru just two days later swung to the other extreme.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood extracted swing and seam movement, reducing the host to eight for six inside four overs. DC folded up for 75 and lost by nine wickets.

On Tuesday (May 5, 2026) night, the strip in use was on the slower side. DC’s batters couldn’t adapt quickly enough, allowing Chennai Super Kings to register an eight-wicket victory.

DC head coach Hemang Badani conceded that the lack of homogeneity with the pitches at home wasn’t ideal. At the same time, the 49-year-old explicitly stated that the franchises didn’t have a role in the preparation of pitches.

“We don’t have any control over the surfaces. There is a clear mandate from the BCCI that it looks after the surfaces and it is the one which ensures that no local side benefits. You play on what is presented to you,” Badani told reporters.

“Yes, it’s been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get in Delhi. I think the whole competition is quite neutral that way. But ideally, yes, you want to have some consistency.”

Seasoned Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar said he has reached a stage in his career where team success takes precedence over individual milestones.

The 36-year-old, who is currently the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, returned figures of 3 for 28, his fifth three-wicket haul of the season, in RCB’s four-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans, taking him to the top of the bowling chart.