Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The Man In Blue Our cricketers are by far one of the strongest role models for this country's youth, and Bhuvenshwar Kumar is one of them.

In a country like India, the only two schedules that are followed ardently are by the railways and the T20 World Cup schedule. Cricket is a sport played and viewed passionately, whose popularity is undeniable with its own desi version, gully cricket, being played in every alley across the country. Our cricketers are by far one of the strongest role models for this country's youth, and Bhuvenshwar Kumar is one of them.

When it comes to Bhuvneshwar's childhood, he joined a cricket academy in the 8th standard and represented Uttar Pradesh in the under 15 category when he was in the tenth standard. Bhuvneshwar told us that he "completed his education from Translam Academy in Meerut and wasn't very studious" during his school days. This young man had his eye on the ball since he was 14 years old, which is when he had started training and began to treat it as his profession, being the first in the family to pursue sports seriously.

From his first widely recognised game against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in 2013, he has come a long way. When asked who was his mentor and guide during this journey, Bhuvneshwar told us that during his initial years in his career his coach was his mentor. The greater question to answer here is how did he reach this level of his career. To which, Bhuvneshwar simply said, "Discipline and consistency".

Reflecting on the past year, the 32-year-old considered it a great year in terms of achievements. "I was fortunate to get motivation in terms of awards and trophies which are a prized possession for every cricketer. There weren't really any major obstacles to overcome. The year ended well and I sealed the year with the maximum number of wickets for India." As for his plans for the future he said, "I am looking forward to just being the best version of me at my game, as I have always done."