It was an inconsequential clash against an outfit that's still finding its feet among the big boys league but Bhuvneshwar Kumar laid down the marker with back-to-back maidens at the start of the Asia Cup T20 encounter against UAE. On a wicket where the fast bowlers have been rewarded right through the tournament, Bhuvneshwar - who kept a tight leash on the opposition - returned with miserly figures of 4-2-8-2. What was important to note was not the sideways movement that the 26-year-old from Meerut generated, but the pace with which he operated on Thursday night at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Bhuvneshwar, whose last T20 appearance was against the Proteas in Cuttack about six months ago, seems to have added a few yards as he bowled at over 140kph on numerous occasions. "Bhuvneshwar is an asset to the team. When you have a bowler who swings the ball either ways, and seems to have added pace -- then you very well play him in the team. What I saw of him on Thursday night was a bowler who was hungry to do well again," noted Pakistan coach and former pacer Waqar Younis. Bhuvneshwar, who not long ago was the first-choice pacer in the side, has slipped in the pecking order with the likes of Ashish Nehra and newbies Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya being preferred. He did feature in a couple of ODIs against Australia earlier this year, but failed to make a mark on wickets which were on the flatter side. The subsequent T20s Down Under saw Hardik don the third seamer's role and Bhuvneshwar was back to warming the benches till the game against UAE. Skipper MS Dhoni felt Bhuvneshwar has worked doubly hard during his time away from the playing XI. "He always works hard in the nets and at the gym. I feel that's important for the fast bowlers - to keep themselves fit and also take the break in the best possible manner. That (the time away from the game) has actually helped him increase his pace," lauded Dhoni, after India's fourth successive win in the competition. What impressed those who saw Bhuvneshwar bowl was that he hadn't compromised on his primary weapon -- swing -- in order to bowl quicker. "You don't want to bowl quick but lose that extra movement that you have and that's the key. He is still somebody who bowls very consistently with his line and length," mentioned. Bhuvneshwar's good show augurs well for the India lineup since the World Twenty20 is not far away, and there is uncertainty surrounding the fitness of Mohammad Shami. "Bhuvneshwar coming good gives us that extra option in case Shami doesn't get fit, and he is somebody who can straight away come in and start doing the work for the team," pointed out the Indian skipper.