Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s absence from the national squad for the upcoming England tour is the most surprising one as the bowler being one of the best exponents of swing would have been a greatest asset for the Indian cricket team in the upcoming Test assignments.
Well, there is no specific reason behind Kumar’s exclusion from India’s tour of the UK comprising the World Test Championship final against New Zealand followed by the five-Test series against England, as he has not only gained fitness but also returned in good rhythm.
The 31-year-old was out of the Indian team for a long time due to several injury issues, but made his white-ball comeback in the recent home matches against England and showed his form with the ball.
However, the seamer has not played a Test match since January 2018 though he had expressed his desire to play Test cricket recently, but now reports claimed that the Uttar Pradesh bowler is no longer interested in playing in the longest format of the game.
According to a report in Times of India, those tracking the bowler's career said the seamer is now “focusing on the next T20 opportunities coming up” as he has lost the zeal to play Test cricket.
A source tracking the developments closely told TOI: “Bhuvneshwar just doesn't want to play Test cricket anymore. That drive has gone missing. To be honest, the selectors don't even see Bhuvi hungry for 10 overs, forget Test cricket. It's Team India's loss no doubt because if one bowler should have made it to England, it should have been him.”
The report also claimed, “those who have seen him from close insist he brought in a huge change in his work-drills a couple of seasons ago, doing away with heavyweight training, falling to the lure of the white-ball comfort and avoiding those hours of long spells that are so integral to red-ball cricket.”
(With TOI Inputs)
