‘If he is 35-36, so what?’: Sehwag calls for Bhuvneshwar to return to India

former indian cricketer and commentator Virender Sehwag rave reviews Bhuvneshwar Kumarurging the BCCI selectors to bring the ‘King of Swing’ back to the international stage.In their most recent match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 30, 2026, Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a masterclass performance for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), finishing with figures of 3/28. During this period, he reached a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian fast bowler to take 350 T20 wickets. Bhuvneshwar regained the top spot in the Purple Caps after picking up 3 wickets, taking his season tally to 17 wickets in 9 games. In the 2026 season alone, he took five wickets, including back-to-back performances against Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. Earlier this season, he became the first fast bowler in IPL history to cross the 200-wicket mark.Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a reliable performer in the IPL, he did not get the recognition he deserved after quitting the Indian circuit in 2022. However, he has since rebuilt his reputation, playing a key role in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s title run in the inaugural season of IPL 2025, a momentum he has continued into IPL 2026. He currently leads the Purple Caps with an economy rate of 7.54, especially at a time when even the top bowlers are struggling to keep the score below 10.Virender Sehwag recently heaped praises on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, calling him “vintage Bhuvi” for his stellar performance this season. Sehwag highlighted how the veteran pacer continued to develop and maintain his effectiveness with the ball, even during phases where many bowlers struggled to control the game.Bhuvneshwar performed brilliantly against the Gujarat Titans and almost turned the game in his team’s favour, while defending 156 runs. He led the attack with 3 for 28, dismissing key top-order batsmen such as Sai Sudarsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler.“Bhuvneshwar Kumar seems to be the best bowler of the batch. He was out 2-3 times in the match and even today he was out 3 times and played for RCB. Sometimes I think, what is his age? If he is 35-36, so what? If he performs well, he should consider coming back in the T20 format or the selectors should think about it. Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have teamed up before, can they pull off such a combination again? He bowled well with both the new ball and the old ball,” Sehwag said.“I loved watching Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s old game today. I could see the sharpness in his game. He was playing against the top batsmen. It’s not that he was bowling well against one or two strong teams; he was playing against all the strong teams. I loved watching him play and you can call Bhuvneshwar Kumar a classic. You never know,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.