SL vs IND: "I wanted to work with him and I'm lucky that he's the coach" - Bhuvneshwar Kumar on Rahul Dravid

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has stated he is lucky to work with Rahul Dravid, who has been named Team India's stand-in coach for the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka.

With the main Indian squad currently in England for the upcoming five-Test series against the host nation, the selectors have picked as many as six uncapped players for the Sri Lanka series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the most senior Indian players on the tour and has been named as deputy to Shikhar Dhawan.

On the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, Bhuvneshwar Kumar acknowledged that he has longed to work with Rahul Dravid and is keen to pick the former Indian batsman's cricketing brain. The Indian seamer said:

"I have played against him (Rahul Dravid) and he was a part of the RCB team just when I got inducted into the team. So I don't have any such memories with him, but when I got to the NCA, we did had some chats."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar added:

"I wanted to work with him and I am lucky that he is the coach. The young players have played under him for India A. So we want to work under him and pick his brain and want to understand how he manages things at that level for such a long time."

There have been articles about me not wanting to play Test cricket. Just to clarify, I have always prepared myself for all three formats irrespective of the team selection and will continue to do the same. Suggestion - please don’t write your assumptions based on “sources”!

— Bhuvneshwar Kumar (@BhuviOfficial) May 15, 2021

Many experts have opined that Bhuvneshwar Kumar should have been on the England tour, owing to his experience and ability to swing the ball both ways. However, given his injury track record over the last couple of years, the Indian team management didn't pick the Meerut seamer for the England Tests.

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"Being the vice-captain of Team India is an honour and a responsibility" - Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Happy birthday to India paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar!#DidYouKnow, he was the first bowler to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in Indian domestic first-class cricket? 👀 pic.twitter.com/mBzGBwlSBc

— ICC (@ICC) February 5, 2020

Despite being named vice-captain of the Indian team touring Sri Lanka, Bhuvneshwar Kumar explained that his actual role on the field won't change much. The seamer stated that as a senior member of the side, he has always tried to help youngsters. However, the 31-year-old was quick to add that it is a huge 'honor' for him to be the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team.

"Yes, on paper, it is my role (vice-captain), but I do not think things will change. I think being a senior player my role is to do things that help other players in improving their skill and mental health. Being the vice captain of Team India is an honour and a responsibility. So I will try to continue doing thing that I have been doing and hope our team does well on the tour."

Despite sending a second-string team, India are still seen as the favorites, given Sri Lanka's recent poor form. The Islanders were recently whitewashed by England in the three-match T20I series and lost 2-0 in the ODIs (the third game yielded no result). Earlier in the year, the Lankans were also beaten by Bangladesh in an ODI series.

Tough fight last night, but what a fantastic win for us. Winning the match and the series, splendid feeling. #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/5qgu2wg7QK

— Bhuvneshwar Kumar (@BhuviOfficial) March 29, 2021