T20Is: Morkel upbeat about Bhuvi’s experience coming in handy in NZ

• India head to New Zealand for a five-match T20I series after a rain-abandoned final match against the West Indies, with questions over their packed schedule

• Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns after four years and is expected to lead the pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence

• Bowling coach Morne Morkel backs Bhuvneshwar’s experience and stresses the need for India’s young bowlers to make smarter decisions under pressure

There has been virtually no downtime for Shreyas Iyer and Co. Less than two days after concluding a demanding home T20I series against the West Indies, the team flew out of Bengaluru in the early hours of Tuesday for a five-match series against New Zealand. The opening match, which marks the start of an all-format tour, is scheduled to be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday.

The wisdom of thrusting the Men in Blue into an endless run of T20I matches since last June has come under intense scrutiny, despite the format's ability to draw large crowds. They have played 14 matches, including bilateral fixtures, Asian Games encounters and a one-off game against Japan. However, their toughest challenge awaits them now, following an embarrassing 4-0 rout by England a few months ago.

There is considerable curiosity about how seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar will fare as he returns to the Indian dressing room after four years. Now 36, Bhuvi is likely to shoulder the responsibility of leading the pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. The unassuming all-rounder, who was added to the squad for the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies, missed out on a possible appearance as the match was abandoned due to rain.

Meanwhile, bowling coach Morne Morkel acknowledged the value Bhuvneshwar brings to the squad ahead of their departure.

“Really excited to have him (Bhuvneshwar) back in the mix. He’s done exceptionally well for RCB in the past, and I think his experience will add a lot of value to a relatively young bowling attack. So, it’s great to have him back, and I’m really looking forward to it,” Morkel said.

Speaking about the UP bowler’s role in keeping spirits high within a young Indian bowling group, Morkel said, “You also want to take the learnings. So, we had a very nice sort of sit-down discussion in Bengaluru with some of the bowlers, just to identify certain areas and what we can expect here.”

“For me, it is about how we can get a younger bowling attack to make smarter decisions under pressure,” added the South African, who has faced scrutiny after Arshdeep Singh and Co. were repeatedly put under pressure by the West Indies in the recently concluded series. The series ended in a 2-2 draw, with West Indies skipper Shai Hope scoring two centuries.

India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.