India’s senior premier pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was ruled out of the three-match ODI series against West Indies with a groin injury. The BCCI issued a statement saying his sports hernia injury got resurfaced. This is a major blow for Bhuvneshwar, who would have liked to get a series of games to come back to form. He is short of quality match time at the moment.
For the ODIs against West Indies, Shardul Thakur, the right-arm pacer, was called up as his replacement.
Bhuvneshwar, who has been missing action for a while now, picked up the injury during the final T20I against West Indies in Mumbai last week. For a bowler like him, who would like to be in the set-up and get his career going, the continuous set of injuries has somehow stalled his career.
At this rate, the future for Bhuvi doesn’t look bright. He has been affected by different sets of injuries, which has kept him out of the national side for quite a few games in the last 1-2 seasons. Notably, it was the National Cricket Academy (NCA) where the pacer was being treated. And the NCA missing out on dealing with the injury highlights the issues that have crept up.
The NCA is facing a lot of scrutiny and Bhuvneshwar isn’t the first one whose injury has been failed to be detected. In the recent past, veteran wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha faced a similar set of issues with multiple injuries. This takes a lot of toll on any cricketer and given that they are International stars, the issues cannot be taken lightly at any cost.
Here we analyze Bhuvneshwar’s injury spells and how the NCA has blotted it up. Moreover, Bhuvi’s career is now in jeopardy if it continues to go in this manner.
Injuries have been a setback for Bhuvneshwar
Notably, the 29-year-old pacer was sidelined during the round-robin stage of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 with a hamstring strain. He suffered the injury in the high-profile clash against Pakistan in Manchester. He missed the next few games, before making a return to the side against Bangladesh. He went on to feature from there on until the 2019 World Cup semis.
Prior to that, the experienced campaigner had to battle a lower-back issue through most of 2018.
He had faced an injury ahead of the Test series in England last year and has also not featured in the longest format game since January 2018. Meanwhile, the fast rise of Jasprit Bumrah and consistent performances by Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami in the red-ball format, has made it even more difficult for Bhuvneshwar to make a comeback.
Bhuvneshwar to miss action for Team IndiaÂ
The bowler, who was being treated at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, will be extremely gutted by the happenings. He is set to miss the T20Is against Sri Lanka next month, and also the ODIs against Australia post that. The bigger pill to swallow will be his likely absence from India’s tour of New Zealand in February.
With conditions to assist seam and swing, Bhuvi would have been an asset for the side in the series against the Kiwis.
To miss so much of cricket for the national team comes as a difficult phase of time for the right-arm pacer. Sadly, the NCA, which has been under the scanner for a while, hasn’t been able to get Bhuvi fit.
Bhuvi is likely to be fit during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season. More injuries could hamper his progress and make it really difficult to earn a berth, especially with India having an exciting bunch of cricketers at this disposal.
The NCA has messed it up for Bhuvneshwar
According to a report in The Times of India, Bhuvneshwar was made to go through three different scans at a private hospital in Bengaluru, while recovering at the NCA, but the injury went undetected. Despite being in severe pain, he was declared fit for play. This is unacceptable given that he is an international star and is pivotal for Team India’s chances.
“It took the physiotherapist of the Indian team no time to come up with the correct diagnosis. He is in such bad shape right now that forget four overs, he can’t even bowl one. How could a player who is clearly not in shape to be on the field, and who requires surgery, be rushed into the team?,” said sources to TOI.
Sadly, Bhuvi needs surgery at the moment and reports state he cannot bowl a single over. To rush him into the team without his injury being sorted has turned out to be a costly mistake. The rate at which Bhuvi is going with his injuries, one might feel an end is coming to his career.
Bhuvneshwar shouldn’t continue his recovery at the NCA
The talented 29-year-old’s absence is a blow and the NCA should be accountable for this happening. At the international stage, these affairs of the NCA cannot go unnoticed. One really feels for Bhuvi at this juncture.
The pacer has the right to be miffed and the report adds that he will not depend on the NCA anymore. The bowler is believed to have conveyed the same to Indian team management. Meanwhile, according to IANS, it came to the fore that Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah had refused to undergo rehabilitation at the NCA post their respective injuries.
Both players had informed the management.
We feel Bhuvi should consult a specialist and stay away from the NCA, where the recent happenings look worrisome.