Social media went into a tizzy on the night of 26th June 2022 as the first game of the 2022 India tour of Ireland kicked off. There was a rain delay at Malahide and by the time we were ready to begin the 1st T20I, India was bowling first in really good seaming conditions. And it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was thrown the ball for the first over.
The swing was evident right from the first ball he bowled to the Ireland openers. He bowled a few outswingers and then on the fifth ball of the over, he bowled one on the perfect line and length and nipped it in. It beat the batsman who wasn’t expecting the ball to come in, and hit the top of the stumps to dismiss the Irish captain, Andrew Balbirnie.
Did Bhuvi Bowl at 208kmph?
However, social media and the internet wasn’t buzzing over the swing that Bhuvi was getting. Rather, they were going crazy over a ball(s) that Bhuvneshwar bowled during the game, which broke all international speed records. He recorded speeds in excess of 200 kmph not once, but twice during the 1st T20I at Malahide.
Yes that’s right. The speed guns were clearly facing some technical glitches that day at Dublin because the speedometer showed Bhuvi bowling one delivery at 201 kmph and another at a supersonic speed of 208 kmph. Just for the record, Bhuvi is someone who bowls in the late 120s and early 130s, and is surely not physically capable of bowling at those speeds.
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Coming to the game, Ireland put up 108/4 in their 12 overs thanks to a brilliant 64(33)* from the young Harry Tector. He displayed all of his shots against a good bowling attack of India, and his innings was truly praiseworthy. None of the other Irish batsmen contributed much that day while Bhuvi was among the pick of the bowlers, ending with 1/16 in his allocated 3 overs.
Speedometer is already out of control before Umran Malik gets the ball in hand. pic.twitter.com/kJClqsHZst
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 26, 2022
India chased down the target with ease, ending with 111/3 in just 9.2 overs. A few batsmen contributed but India was trying a new opener in Deepak Hooda, who scored 47(29)* and made all heads turn. Later in the 2nd T20I, he went on to join an elite club of only four Indian batsmen who have T20I centuries, including Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Suresh Raina.
Coming back to the speeds being show on the speed guns when Bhuvi was bowling, let’s not forget that no one in the world has come close to that pace so far. ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan holds the record for the fastest ball bowled in international cricket, clocking in 161.3 kmph. The fourth ball of Bhuvi’s over also clocked 227 kmph!
0.1 : 201kmph
0.2 : 208kmph
0.4 : 227kmph pic.twitter.com/vHUbZYrKCY— Thala (@Thala49081393) June 27, 2022
Coming close to his speeds is Bhuvi’s Team India teammate Umran Malik who was recently handed his T20I cap in this series and he didn’t really get to prove his mettle in this 1st T20I, bowling a wayward single over for no wicket and 14 runs. However, in the recent IPL 2022 season, he clocked 157+ kmph and narrowly missed a all-time IPL speed record.
For more updates from the 2022 India tour of Ireland and other cricket news from around the world, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com.
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