IPL 8: Will never compromise on my swing for speed: Bhuvneshwar

The last four months have been tumultuous for Bhuvneshwar Kumar From being one of Indias bowling mainstays when the team departed for Down Under last November Bhuvneshwar might now have to work his way back into the team considering the way Indias pace trio of Mohammad Shami Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma impressed in the World CupBhuvneshwar Kumar PicAFPAn ankle injury before the Test series against Australia forced Bhuvneshwar to be on the sidelines for the first three Tests He made a comeback in the last Test at Sydney but seemed nowhere ready for it Next the 25yearold played two ODIs in the triseries mdash one each against Australia and England mdash but there was a drastic drop in paceHe was far from impressive in the two World Cup warmup matches against Australia and Afghanistan sending skipper Mahendra Singh Dhonis plans in further jeopardy after Ishant Sharma was ruled out of the mega tournament just days before it kicked offBhuvneshwar finally got a game in the World Cup against UAE after Shami was given a break due to a minor injury scare But he bowled only five overs claiming 119Bhuvneshwar in an interview to midday yesterday said he is eager to get back in action in the Indian Premier League for Sunrisers Hyderabad He also opened up about why he is not keen to bowl at express pace and the competition he faces in the Indian teamExcited to be in action after a breakI am excited to play matches after a long time Although I was in Australia and was part of the training sessions I didnt play enough matches The excitement to play a match is differentOn the competition in Team Indias bowling departmentCompetition has always been there The competition in the Indian team is fiercer as only 15 players are selected out of a billion people The competition will always remain even if you are in the playing XI or if you are making a comeback There is no guarantee that you will always play in the XI if you have performed once or twice There is competition for even those who are performing It is healthy competition which is good for the teamOn the four months in AustraliaI have learnt many things but I cant reveal it The England tour was good for me but I got injured in Australia The injury gave me some time off to think about my bowling Everything is nice when you are in good flow but when you are injured or not performing that is when you learn a lot about yourself your game and what you need to developOn increasing his speedI would never compromise on my swing for speed If anybody tells me to bowl at 140kmph I would not love to do so because when you bowl at that pace there are big chances of the ball not swinging enough Yes pace was a concern for me in Australia because I was making a comeback from my injury I am quite happy with my speed which is around 130135kmph I am not worried about my speed For me it is important to be fit and in good rhythmOn his target for IPL8I dont set any goals Whatever I have achieved I have achieved without setting any goals When you set goals and dont achieve them it leads to disappointment The ultimate goal is to win matches and the IPLOn missing out on the Purple Cap by a whisker in the last IPLIt is always a dream to be the highest wickettaker in the IPL but there is no guarantee with such things I have to just keep working hard andgive my 100 per cent Bhuvneshwars 20 wickets in 14 matches put him in third place after Mohit Sharma 23 in 16 matches of Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders Sunil Narine 21 in 16 matchesOn the best part of the IPLThe best part is that you get to learn the nuances of the game from top cricketers When you are playing for your country you learn only from watching them When players are representing their country they might not want to talk to you or reveal their bowling secrets There are a lot of finer points that you learn from them during the IPL You learn about handling various situations and that helps you in your career20Number of wickets Sunrisers Hyderabads Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed during the last IPL