In a major boost for Team India, their fast-bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has hit the training session. The right-arm pacer had sustained a hamstring injury during the June 16 clash against Pakistan in Manchester. The right-arm pacer walked off the field midway through his third over and did not come back. Fortunately, India did not miss him much and beat Pakistan by 89 runs in an easy contest.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar missed the clash against Afghanistan on Saturday. In his absence, Mohammed Shami played the match and made an instant impact. Shami picked up 4 wickets including a hat-trick in the final over of the match to help India defend a modest 224 by 11 runs. It will now be interesting to see whom India prefers for the clash against West Indies on Thursday.
Prior to the injury, Bhuvneshwar was in fine form. He picked up two wickets against South Africa and three against Australia, helping India win both the games. But with Shami taking a hat-trick against Afghanistan, the team-management is likely to persist with him at least for the match against West Indies even if Bhuvneshwar Kumar regains full fitness.
The BCCI posted a clip of an indoor training session, showing the fast-bowler bowling. An update on the pacer’s full injury is expected soon.
Look who's back in the nets ??#TeamIndia #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/m8bqvHBwrn
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 25, 2019
India, meanwhile, will be looking to extend their winning start to the tournament when they take on West Indies on Thursday. Along with New Zealand, India are the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far. With 4 wins and nine points from 5 games, India are third in the points table. A win against West Indies will take them one step closer to the semifinal. West Indies, on the other hand, are languishing at the eighth spot in the points table with just 3 points from 6 games.