Bhuvneshwar Kumar trains with Team India Test squad to prove fitness

Once a spearhead of the Indian bowling unit across the three formats of the game, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has struggled through a plethora of injuries in the past 12-18 months. The pace bowler, who is recovering from a hamstring injury and a side strain, participated in a “skill session” along with fellow India teammates during the side’s practice session ahead of the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.

Bhuvneshwar’s injury and his subsequent recovery have been a source of contention ever since he returned from India’s tour of the West Indies back in August. The BCCI had asked the National Cricket Academy [NCA] as to why it was taking so long for him to recover from his injuries but now it seems the team management seems to have taken charge of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s final phase of rehabilitation.

“Bhuvi is here for a skill session with the team. The team management just wants him to get into the groove,” a team source was quoted as saying by Republic when enquired about the fast bowler’s presence at the net session. The fast bowler had a catching session in the presence of fielding coach R Sridhar before proceeding to participate in the net-session. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a few deliveries from a full run-up but it was evident that he was not going at full throttle. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn’t played for a long time

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injury and his subsequent recovery to full fitness remain vital to Team India’s cause-, especially in white-ball cricket. The right-hander missed out on the T20I series against South Africa and Bangladesh and his expertise at the death is something Team India greatly missed in both the rubbers- despite Deepak Chahar’s coming-off-age performance. 

While the team management chooses to keep their cards close to their chest, Bhuvi’s presence indicated that physio Nitin Patel and trainer Nick Webb could have a huge role to play in the coming days as far as managing his fitness is concerned.

Over the years, the NCA has come under intense scrutiny for its transformation from being a ‘centre for excellence’ to “ a rehab centre for injured players” with physio Ashish Kaushik’s performance coming under the scanner.

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