WATCH: When Bhuvneshwar Kumar demolished England at Lords to register career best figures
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, often dubbed as the prince of swing, is a master of the now fading art. His rhythmic action and brilliant wrist position are what make him one of a kind. It was his ability to swing the ball both ways that put him in the spotlight in 2012 as he made his debut for India. And almost a decade later, he continues to trouble batsmen with the new ball.
England is renowned in the world for its swing-friendly conditions and there was no surprise that the country brought out the best in this master of swing. In his last and only tour of England, Bhuvneshwar bagged 19 wickets in seven innings to cement his place in the Test side.
It was in the second game of the Test series and the Uttar Pradesh quick’s eighth Test match where registered his best figures. His spell of 6 for 82 ripped apart the English line-up before he scored a half-century in the second innings of the game to help India to the win. Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished the series as India’s leading wicket-taker.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar registers career best figures
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was right on the money from the get-go. The green deck at Lords brought out the best in him as he troubles the openers with his probing line and lengths. Alastair Cook was the first to succumb to him as he was found poking at an outswinger from the Indian. Sam Robson was the next to follow as he too was caught behind trying to drive Bhuvneshwar on the up.
Ian Bell was outdone with a sharp inswinger as he was caught in the slips. Bhuvneshwar displaying his skill with the ball brought the ball back into Bell whose poor attempt to leave the ball saw him glove it to the slip. although Gary Balance put up a resilient fight at one end, Bhuvneshwar continued to trouble him. Balance scored a ton before he was sent packing by the Indian quick.
Following Balance’s dismissal, it was easy pickings for the visitors as they skittled out England for 319. Bhuvneshwar along with Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami cleaned up the resilient tail following some difficulty to give India a great chance to put up a huge total and the batsmen didn’t disappoint.
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar snubbed from England tour of India
India is all set for the UK tour to play New Zealand in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final and then a five-match Test series against England. The 24 men squad, including the standby players, does not feature Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s name which was hard to digest for many.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with his incredible ability to swing the new ball, would have been an invaluable weapon for India in the England conditions. Bhuvneshwar last featured for India in Tests was way back in 2018 against South Africa. Despite missing the next several Tests due to injury, the England tour looked like a perfect chance for him to return to the red-ball team.
The only plausible explanation as of now for leaving out the swing maestro could be his fitness. Off late Bhuvneshwar have been struggling with a plethora of injuries. He last played a first class game back in 2018 and there is no way he will be bowl long tedious spells in Tests. Nonetheless, given his recent form in white ball cricket, he deserved a chance to try and make a comeback in the purest format.
Anshuman Mahapatra
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