Bhuvneshwar ready for England series
LUCKNOW: With all top pacers in the India team, including Jasprit Bumrah, facing an injury crisis, seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is sounding confident ahead of the upcoming home series against England after proving his match fitness in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 (SMAT) tournament at Bengaluru.
The pacer, who was ruled out with a thigh muscle injury during the Indian Premier League in October last, has confirmed his return to the big stage and is raring to go against the Joe Root-led English side, which will play four Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.
“I am raring to go against England. I am fit after recovering from injury,” Kumar said on Monday. “I did my rehab well at the National Cricket Academy and am playing in the SMAT to prove my match fitness,” he added.
After the home series against England, starting February 5, if all goes well, the 30-year-old will appear for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 14th edition of the IPL, likely in May, and thereafter enhance his chance of touring Sri Lanka in June for a threematch ODI and five-match T20I
series.
“Before the IPL, my mission is to do well against England, and I am looking forward to the opportunity,” said Kumar, who had three wickets in the opening league match against Punjab in
the T20 domestic event. “There are plenty of opportunities this year, but I am counting them one by one.”
Kumar along with fellow pacer Ishant Sharma was ruled out of the Australia series much
before its start, where all three pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav sustained injuries and the side had to play the fourth and the final Test with young rookie pacers Mohd Siraj, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur.
Kumar missed five matches in the 2018 IPL season with back issues, including an injury that persisted through India’s tour of England later that year. In the 2019 ICC World Cup in England, he missed matches against Afghanistan, West Indies and England owing to hamstring troubles before missing the home series against South Africa and Bangladesh with a side strain.
“Bhuvi’s experience would be handy for India at home against England as his ability to swing the ball is tremendous. His 63 wickets in 21 Tests and the ability to bat in the lower order are something unique and he deserves an opportunities,” says UP chief coach and ex-colleague Gyanendra Pandey.
“In fact, I was surprised to see Bhuvi bowling perfect swing and that too with good speed at the nets when he joined us at Bengaluru early this month,” he added.
Among the pacers in the India team right now, including Bumrah, Saini, Shami and Yadav none of them can play for a long time at the crease. However, Kumar is able to do so. The bowler from Meerut has scored 552 runs in Tests so far with 63 his highest score.