JOIN USHis eight overs on the trot set the stage for India to rip through Pakistan in their final Champions Trophy group match here but rising pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels it is still a long way to go before he can think of himself as the team's bowling spearhead.
Against Pakistan yesterday, Kumar picked up his maiden Man of the Match trophy after picking up the crucial wickets of Nasir Jamshed and Mohammed Hafeez in eight back-to-back overs.
"In English conditions, the new ball is expected to swing and I feel the captain wants to get the best out of me. I have been doing this quite regularly in India too," Kumar told reporters after India's emphatic eight-wicket win against Pakistan here at Edgbaston.
Asked whether he is ready to spearhead India's pace attack, the youngster replied, "I am still learning and speaking to the seniors. It's too early to look into the future and say I am going to spearhead India's bowling attack. I will like to take one match at a time."
Kumar said there were no special plans against Pakistan.
"As a new ball bowler, it's my job to stick to the basics. But it's true that the ball is not swinging as much as I thought it would in English conditions. The bounce has been good, though," the 23-year-old from Meerut said.
Kumar (2/19) produced his best bowling performance against Pakistan in ODIs, bettering the two for 27 at Chennai on December 30, 2012. This was also his best in Champions Trophy. The pacer said he was never in awe of the Pakistan batsmen.
"Swing is my main weapon. All bowlers depend on movement and I am no exception. Whether it's Pakistan or any other team, the approach is the same. We went in today quite confident of our abilities. We won two matches as a team and we had a lot of belief in our batting, bowling and fielding," Kumar stated.
Kumar, like most youngsters in this Indian team, thanked captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for keeping the pressures off the squad here in UK.