"Bhuvneshwar Kumar's name not being there is a little surprising" - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise at Bhuvneshwar Kumar's exclusion from the Indian Test squad for the England tour.

The Indian selectors have named a 20-member squad, apart from four reserves, for the World Test Championship final and the subsequent five-match series against England. While six seamers have been included in the squad considering the favorable conditions in England, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not one of them.

BCCI how come no master of swing bowling bhuvneshwar kumar in england on green tops biggest mistake. pic.twitter.com/OswPBQEVvX

— Dinesh Kerai (@Dineshkerai) May 8, 2021

While expressing his views on the selected squad in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was perplexed with Bhuvneshwar Kumar's omission.

"Bhuvneshwar Kumar's name not being there is a little surprising from my point of view. It is possible he might not have gotten fit till the WTC final or you may not have wanted to take a chance with him," said Chopra.

While acknowledging that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might not regain peak fitness for the World Test Championship final, the reputed commentator pointed out the swing bowler could surely have been in the scheme of things for the Test series against England.

"But if there are five Test matches in England and you have a bowler like Bhuvi bowling at his peak, you can surely play him two or three of the five Test matches. That's what I would be thinking that if I get a bowler like Bhuvi in those conditions, he is an asset," added Chopra.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar missed a couple of matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the now-suspended IPL 2021 due to a thigh injury. He was back in action in the franchise's last encounter, but he may not be fully fit at the moment to face the rigors of Test match cricket.

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"Bhuvneshwar Kumar's name is not there for a series that starts in August" - Aakash Chopra

Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be a handful in English conditions

Aakash Chopra signed off by stating that Bhuvneshwar Kumar should surely have been picked, considering that there is a long while to go before the Test series against England and the jumbo squads that are selected in the current situation.

"But his name is not there for a series that starts in August and ends in September, there are five Test matches. When we talk about the huge squads, if he is fit, then why not Bhuvneshwar Kumar. You might also be thinking the same," concluded Chopra.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has snared 19 wickets in the five Tests he has played in England. His career-best figures of 6/82 also came on English soil, in India's 95-run win in the 2014 Lord's Test.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 6-82 are best bowling figures by an Indian at Lord's since Amar Singh in 1936. #EngvsInd

— Cricket Madness (@CricketMadness2) July 19, 2014