Veteran Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his long-awaited comeback to the Indian side; however, his return has not been as anticipated because in the first two T20Is of the ongoing five-match series, Kumar has been very expensive, returning with the figures of 0-49 and 1-50, respectively. Meanwhile, expressing sympathy with Bhuvneshwar, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel asserted that the veteran pacer needs to block the ‘expectation factor’.

"Look, I've got a lot of sympathy for his return. The reason why I say that is, one, there will be expectation after four years to come out. He's done exceptionally well in the IPL. He's bowled really well. One is to block the expectation factor out. Two, leading into his selection, I mean, there was a month of cricket where, yes, he trained, but this is a different beast coming and playing international cricket where the margins are small. So he had to come in with limited training because of the schedule to get himself ready,” Morkel said while speaking to the press. 

Ahead of the T20I series against New Zealand, Bhuvneshwar was included in the Indian squad, earning a recall to the side after four years. He last represented India back in November 2022. Notably, Bhuvneshwar was brought back to the Indian side on the back of a splendid form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the last two seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), where he, taking 45 wickets across those seasons, played a key role in the team's back-to-back IPL title victories.

"So the skill and his experience – everything is there. But at the end of the day, we have to respect the game of cricket, and you have to be able to allow him to just find his feet in some of the games." Morkel said.

"And for me, that has been the message from the start when he joined the squad, is to, you know, don't chase anything. Just be you. Yes, there will be expectations. But just every game you'll get better, and every game you'll find your rhythm. So let's not think about any outside noises. Just be you and connect with that."