Irfan Pathan reviews India’s New Zealand T20I loss and Bhuvneshwar’s selection
“India’s bowling felt toothless, and we must back our fast bowlers,” Irfan Pathan warned in his latest video.
Video: Irfan Pathan on YouTube (the creator's own channel; embedded, not re-uploaded).
Irfan Pathan shared his candid view on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s inclusion for India in a video posted on 1 November 2026 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. He opened the discussion by stating that India’s bowling unit appeared “toothless” in the recent series [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. Pathan then identified the most disappointing factor for the side as the lack of penetration from the bowlers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. He went on to say that India should allocate more chances to its fast‑bowling contingent [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. Pathan also raised the strategic question of planning ahead for the emerging pacer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms].
Regarding the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton, Pathan reported that India finished on 191 for 8 wickets [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. He highlighted Ishan Kishan’s aggressive knock of 61 runs off 32 balls as a key contribution [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. Pathan noted that Shreyas Iyer accelerated the chase by scoring a fifty in just 23 deliveries [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. He added that New Zealand’s Tim Seifert performed “simply impressive” throughout the match [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. Pathan reflected on what went wrong for India in the recent games, pointing to tactical lapses and execution errors [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms]. He also highlighted the positives that emerged from the series, such as the middle‑order’s finishing ability [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGRY3tPCJms].
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricket commentator, analyst and former player, as recorded on Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. He was a bowling all‑rounder and part of the Indian squad that won the 2007 ICC Twenty20 World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. In early 2006, Pathan achieved the rare feat of taking a Test hat‑trick in the first over of a match against Pakistan at Karachi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. The International Cricket Council named him the 2004 ICC Men’s Emerging Player of the Year [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. Media outlets described him at the time as the “blue‑eyed boy of Indian cricket” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. Greg Chappell, appointed India’s coach in 2005, recognised Pathan’s batting potential [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. Pathan scored 93 runs in a Test against Sri Lanka in Delhi after Virender Sehwag’s illness [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. He played his final Test in April 2008 versus South Africa [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. Born on 27 October 1984 in Baroda, Gujarat, Pathan married model Safa Baig on 4 February 2016 in Mecca [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. He made his Test debut in December 2003 against Australia at the Adelaide Oval [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan]. In 2022, the Bhilwara Kings selected him for the Legends League Cricket and appointed him captain [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irfan_Pathan].
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, born 5 February 1990, is a right‑arm medium pacer noted for swinging the ball both ways [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. He entered international cricket in December 2012 against Pakistan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. Kumar became the first Indian bowler to claim a five‑wicket haul in Tests, ODIs and T20Is [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. He topped the wicket‑taking charts with 11 dismissals during the 2022 Asia Cup [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. In the 2008/09 Ranji Trophy final, he famously dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for a duck [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. Kumar earned the IPL Purple Cap in 2016 while representing Sunrisers Hyderabad [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. Royal Challengers Bengaluru purchased him for ₹10.75 crore in November 2024 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. He contributed 17 wickets to RCB’s title win in 2025 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar]. Kumar married Nupur Nagar on 23 November 2017 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhuvneshwar_Kumar].