Bhuvneshwar Kumar ruled out of Indore Test

Indian spearhead pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been ruled out of the 3rd and final test match between India and New Zealand due to a back strain. The Test is set to take place at Indore on the 8th of October.

Shardul Thakur has been named as his replacement for Kumar. With the Ranji Trophy set to begin tomorrow, Thakur will have to make a change in his plans and travel to Indore for the 3rd and final Test. Having established himself as the spearhead of Mumbai's attack, he will be looking to make his mark on the international stage as well.

Thakur is an aggressive quick bowler, who can swing the ball away from the right-handers. Although his career did not get off to a great start, he slowly made his way up and has established himself as one of the best pace bowlers in the domestic circuit. In the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy final, he took eight wickets against the Saurashtra cricket team and led Mumbai cricket team to win its 41st Ranji Trophy title.

He has played 39 matches for Mumbai and taken 152 wickets at an average of 27 and strike rate of 51.

He was drafted by the Kings XI Punjab side in the Indian Premier League during the 2014 auction and made his debut in the 2015 season against the Delhi Daredevils

Bhuvi is the 3rd player who has got injured during the tour after KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.

He was looking to cement his place in the Indian Test set up after picking up 6 wickets in the previous test match. The injury has come at an unfortunate time and he will be looking to recover quickly. Meanwhile, Umesh Yadav would be the favourite to replace him for the Indore Test as Thakur would mostly be benched.

Bhuvi was one of the star performers in the 2nd test match at Eden Gardens. On a pitch which assisted the pace bowlers, Bhuvi took the attack to the New Zealand batsmen in the first innings as he took a magnificent 5 wicket haul and restricted New Zealand to 204, after India managed 316 in their first innings.

Bhuvi has played in 15 Tests so far and has taken 41 wickets at an average of 28. His best bowling figure of 6/82 came against England at Lords in 2014.