The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection panel picked the Indian squad for the ICC World Test Championship final and the five-match Test series against England and surprisingly the name of Bhuvneshwar Kumar was missing from both the squads.
If swing is an art, he is a master at that. However injuries have halted his career especially in the last few years and with several other bowlers emerging in the set-up, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s chances in the longest format has been few and far between.
The right-arm quick was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League. However his appearances were limited after suffering a hamstring injury against the Chennai Super Kings. Scans further revealed that he would be ruled out of the rest of the tournament.
Kumar’s only trip to England as a Test player was back in 2014 when he had a brilliant time with the ball bagging 19 wickets in the five-match series. India was defeated 1-3 but Bhuvneshwar Kumar was a shining light for the visitors with his exceptional bowling through the series.
However, injuries didn’t allow him to book a place for the subsequent tour in 2018. With conditions in England suited to his style of bowling, it was a bit surprising that his name was not there in the squad and Twiteratti vented their anguish at the selectors choice.
Here are some of the reactions