India's 3-2 T20I series win against New Zealand has brought up questions about the team selection. The Shreyas Iyer-led side started on a high note, winning the first three matches but lost the last two. As the debate about the team composition and preparation for future tasks continues, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has raised questions about the selectors' decision to include veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

After being back in the national team for nearly four years, Bhuvneshwar failed to make much of an impact in the series. Pathan, who was part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squad, feels that including the veteran pacer was not the right decision.

With the next T20 World Cup being far away, he added that it would have been a good chance to give young fast bowlers an opportunity to play international cricket.

Irfan Pathan questions Bhuvneshwar Kumar's selection

Pathan spoke on his YouTube channel and, while admitting Bhuvneshwar's experience and bowling skills, felt there wasn't much reason to pick him for the T20I series against New Zealand.

“You know it's a bad decision because they brought in Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He is obviously a quality bowler, an experienced player, but to bring him into this series when we are so far away from the T20 World Cup makes it a bit questionable.

If he was building up towards the 50-over World Cup, then it makes sense, but that is not the case here,” Pathan said.

He added that Bhuvneshwar's inclusion meant that they missed out on giving some of their young pace bowlers, such as Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, a chance to play at the highest level.

“But by bringing him in, they have missed out on allowing some of our young fast bowlers to play. You could have given one of our young players a chance and they would have got some great experience.

Mayank could have played all the games and gained some great exposure, and Prince Yadav could have also played. It was a great opportunity for our fast bowlers to gain some great experience on New Zealand soil,” he added.

However, Pathan made it clear that this wasn't because of Bhuvneshwar's performance in the series. The 36-year-old pacer didn't have a game-changing impact, but his bowling wasn't completely useless, and some of his expensive overs didn't represent his true abilities.

“I am not saying that because he didn't play well.

He was a bit unfortunate. He bowled well in his first couple of overs but when he came on to bowl the last over of the powerplay, he gave up some runs. But that can happen to anyone, and there is no doubt about his skill,” he explained.

Pathan added that it was more about the fact that Bhuvneshwar has come back at the wrong time and feels that India should start investing in their young pace bowling talent by giving them chances in tough conditions overseas.

“It's definitely about timing. It would have been a great opportunity for one of our young fast bowlers.

If you want to develop your fast bowlers, it is very important to give them a chance to play on true pitches where there is not much room for error,” Pathan concluded.