One of the greatest swing specialists India has ever produced, Kumar, turns 36 on the 5th of February

February 5th marks the birthday of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of the greatest swing specialists ever produced by India. His ability to swing the ball both ways made him a deadly bowler from the Indian outfit, who has helped the Men in Blue win several games across tournaments and series.

As we commemorate Kumar's 36th birthday, we want to highlight some of his accomplishments that we feel deserve more recognition.

Sixth-highest wicket-taker

(Credit- India TV News)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is India’s sixth-highest T20I wicket-taker – sixth may not feel impressive in the minds of many, but one must not forget that with age, he has drifted away from international cricket. In 87 matches, he has 90 wickets, whereas compared to him, the other players in the top five are active players who are at their peak, and age is also on their side.

Five-wicket hauls across formats

Kumar is also the first bowler in the world to grab registered five-wicket hauls in all three formats—ODI, T20I, and Test. His first-ever five-for was in a Test when he picked up six wickets against England at Lord’s in 2014. In ODI, he registered his maiden five-fors against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2017. He completed the checklist by picking a five-wicket haul in a T20I against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2018.

Two consecutive Purple Caps

There is no doubt that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most competitive domestic T20 leagues in the world, with hundreds of talents taking part every year. In such a competitive circuit, Kumar won the Purple Cap by taking the greatest number of wickets in two consecutive seasons.

(Credit- The Indian Express)

He achieved the feat while representing Sunrisers Hyderabad, picking 23 wickets in 2016, followed by 26 wickets in 2017. Kumar was one of the reasons behind Hyderabad’s title-winning campaign in 2016, and to date, Kumar remains one of the three players to have won the title thrice.

Asia Cup’s highest wicket-taker

In 2022, despite India not winning the trophy as the defending champions, Kumar emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. In five games, Kumar scalped 11 wickets with a best figure of 5/4 and maintained an economy of 6.05.

The above-mentioned achievements prove the range of Kumar across tournaments and formats. Age and the influx of too many Indian talents got to him, but Kumar remains a significant bowler in Indian cricket history, as he reminds us time and again, given that he is still active in IPL. Although a return to the Indian team is improbable, we hope he will ignite the IPL 2026.