England vs India 2014: Bhuvneshwar Kumar doubtful for 4th Test at Old Trafford

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fitness is a huge worry for India

This is the first ever 5-match Test series that any of the current Indian players are involved in, and the effects of such a long series are starting to show on the players.

Ishant Sharma wasn’t fit for the 3rd Test match in Southampton due to an ankle injury and is now set to miss out on the 4th Test as well owing to the same injury while there are growing concerns surrounding Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has a swollen ankle and is a doubt for the 4th Test match at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Captain MS Dhoni has admitted that the intense workload is starting to have an adverse effect on the 23-year-old’s bowling.

"I think, Bhuvi seemed to be a bit tired," Dhoni said. "But he came back nicely after that first spell. But I thought he was slightly on the shorter side. He got the right length in the first two Tests, but here he was slightly short. Apart from that I am quite happy with the effort put in by fast bowlers. It was a different kind of wicket, where you have to hit the deck hard to get some purchase. That's where I found Pankaj very impressive. He is a tall guy and got a fair amount of bounce and was unlucky not to get a few wickets. Overall I am happy with him."

Bhuvneshwar, who is the leading wicket-taker for India in this series with 15 scalps, has had to bowl a lot of overs until now. If the Uttar Pradesh pacer is ruled out of the fourth Test, he will be a big miss for Dhoni’s men as his contributions with both bat and ball have been crucial to the balance of the team.