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In January 2018, India decided to leave out Bhuvneshwar Kumar as they sought to turn around their fortunes at SuperSport Park against South Africa. Interestingly, just a game prior, the pacer had scalped 6 wickets, meaning that his omission raised plenty of eyebrows.
Expectedly, India wilted to another defeat, with the Proteas surging into an unassailable lead. Thus, when Bhuvneshwar Kumar was eventually recalled into the fold (at Johannesburg), he was not only playing for his place in the side, but also to strengthen his credentials as India’s first choice fast bowler.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar lent enormous weight to the aforementioned argument as he produced a Player of the Match display – one that culminated in a historic triumph for India. By then, though, the fate of the series had been decided and as further dust has settled, perhaps the fate of Bhuvneshwar Kumar – the Test cricket, had also, rather astonishingly, been penciled down.
Since the Test at Johannesburg in January 2018, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not represented India in red-ball cricket. Though injuries have understandably played a part, he hasn’t been considered, even when fit – something that was emphasized by his absence in India squad for WTC final and the series against England.
Unsurprisingly, the rumor mill has been rife, with many speculating that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might’ve lost the motivation to represent India in Test cricket.
More recently though, Bhuvneshwar Kumar quelled all those allegations, suggesting that people should refrain from “assuming” based on information from “sources”. And, that he is committed to “preparing himself for selection in all formats”.
Thus, one can’t help but avoid jumping into the debate of whether Bhuvneshwar Kumar has indeed walked into the Test sunset. Or, more bluntly, question how a fast bowler who was deemed ideal for the Indian landscape lost his way so badly that he barely evokes a mention, even as the Men In Blue embark on another cycle of potential cricketing domination.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been severely ravaged by injuries. In fact, since the 2018 series against South Africa, the pacer has not played the full complement of games in any IPL season.
On the national front, his appearances have been fleeting, with the outing against England in March 2021 coming on the back of an injury lay-off that saw him miss the tour Down Under.
Additionally, for a fast bowler not known for searing pace, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has broken down quite often. While it could be termed an unlucky phase, the increasing frequency is a cause of concern – a worry that could’ve even prompted India to look past Bhuvneshwar Kumar, at least in red-ball cricket.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the Player of the Match in the last Test he played
Yet, for those that have followed Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s career closely, there could be a slight inclination to wait till he tides over his injury problems. Not just because he remains a force when fit (he has two Player of the Match awards in his last three Tests), but also because he boasts a unique skill-set.
When Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke onto the scene, he did so as a genuine swing bowler – someone capable of moving the ball both ways. Almost instantly, he proved those notions right when he superbly crafted the downfall of Nasir Jamshed in his debut T20I series.
On that evening, he pushed the ball away from the left-hander and lulled him into a false sense of security, before jagging the ball back into the batter and castling him. On his ODI debut, he swung the ball into the batter prodigiously to account for Mohammed Hafeez – a trick he has repeated countless times (across formats) since.
At that juncture, it seemed that India had unearthed a seamer capable of rattling the opposition cage, irrespective of the conditions. And, of course, a person capable of spearheading the bowling attack in Test cricket, where accuracy, craft and guile – characteristics synonymous to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, are a luxury. He was that good.
Furthermore, as Bhuvneshwar Kumar has matured, he has developed a tendency to seam the ball, in addition to swinging it. In the process, he has become a lot more unpredictable and has always kept the batters honest. As far as his batting is concerned, he might not be as belligerent an option as Shardul Thakur, but certainly knows how to hold his own.
Apart from the above, Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes across as a smart cricketer – one who can outwit the opposition players, even in the most arduous of circumstances. To put things simply, when fit, he still represents one of the shrewdest cricketers for India.
Unfortunately, injuries have meant that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has fallen down the pecking order massively. While he still remains a first-choice in white-ball cricket, the same can’t be said about Test cricket. Not just because an injury cloud always hovers over his head, but also because India have stumbled upon rich fast bowling reserves lately.
In fact, it might not be a stretch to suggest that Bhuvneshwar Kumar (even when fit) might be the seventh or eighth-choice pacer, behind the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav.
From a purely romantic standpoint, it seems a bit of a travesty that Bhuvneshwar Kumar – someone who was looked upon as the leader of the pack, might not feature in the pack altogether now.
Pragmatism, meanwhile, suggests that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might just have entered the twilight of his Test career. Not only because there are worthy contenders to his throne, but also because his body seems more sustainable to the shorter formats of the game.
Click here to check WTC final live score.
Yet, courtesy of the unparalleled ability and the intelligence he brings to the fore, there will always exist a temptation to throw him into the Test fold. At this point, though, it seems highly unlikely that Bhuvneshwar Kumar will don the Test whites for India.
And, the best India can hope for is that the pacer “tries to prepare himself for all formats” and returns to scaling the heights he is capable of.
Unless the above materializes, his Test career will smack of unfulfilled potential. After all, he would, then, truly be the ideal Indian Test bowler who wasn’t.
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