England vs India 2018, Tests: 3 reasons why India’s series defeat doesn’t come as a shock

#3 India missed the services of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the 'All-rounder'

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The positive development of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the past few years is pretty evident for everyone to see. He has become the bowling spearhead for India across all formats.

He always had the ability to swing the ball both ways and would have been a handful in English conditions if he was fit to play. More than the swing, India missed two qualities of Bhuneshwar Kumar the most in this test series- his ability to get the reverse swing and finish off the tail quickly and his improved batting skills.

India have faltered on many occasions to close out innings quickly after being in commanding positions. Sam Curran has single-handedly won games with his bat twice in the series. If Bhuvi was in the team, along with Jasprit Bumrah they could have dismissed England earlier and would have been still alive in the series.

Also, in recent times Bhuvneshwar Kumar has tightened his technique and is more than handy with the bat. He puts a lot of value for his wicket and importantly stays at the crease for long periods. This is something India couldn't manage to do right through the test series.

Apart from Ravichandran Ashwin, nobody in the tail has been able to stay at the crease long enough. It is imperative that every batsman bats out as many balls as possible and supports the set batsmen at the other end.

India sorely missed Bhuvi – the all-rounder in this test series. If he were fit to play, his impact on the team's performance would have been similar to what Sam Curran's has been for England.