A lot has been spoken over the last week after national selectors left out Bhuvneshwar Kumar from the ICC World Test Championship squad and the following Test series against England. In the wake of the snub, new reports suggest that the Uttar Pradesh-born cricketer has shifted his focus from red-ball cricket and is concentrating more on T20s.
Incidentally, Bhuvneshwar last played a Test match way back in 2018 against South Africa. It was the same series where Jasprit Bumrah made his Test debut. While it was widely reported that Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return to the longest format is on the cards, the selectors didn’t think so. Instead, they showed trust in the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur along with Mohammed Shami, Bumrah, and Ishant Sharma.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar shifts focus from Test cricket
A source close to the fast bowler has revealed that he wants to focus more on T20 opportunities in a recent interaction. It was said that Bhuvneshwar doesn’t want to play Test cricket anymore and that his drive has gone missing.
“[Bhuvneshwar Kumar is] focusing on the next T20 opportunities coming up…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,” said the source as quoted by the Times Of India.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar enjoys a brilliant record in England. He first traveled for a Test tour to England in 2014. He returned with 19 wickets from five matches, which included a six-for at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, which was a match-winning performance. He also scored three fifties during the series, aggregating 247 runs. In 2018, he missed the tour due to injury and since then he hasn’t played a single Test match.
With time traveling fast, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be eyeing the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place later this year. His next international assignment is likely to be the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka in July.
