ENG vs IND 2018: Bhuvneshwar Kumar Fails To Recover For Last Two Tests

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is reportedly set to miss the entire England vs India series due to his back injury.

Bhuvneshwar had missed the third Twenty20 International against England as well as the first two One-day Internationals. He managed to play the third game at Headingley but ended up aggravating the back injury.

As a result, the selectors of Team India did not name him in the 18-man squad for the first three Tests announced against England. At the time of announcing the squad for the first three Tests, the BCCI had said that he could be available for the last two games.

The pacer then returned to India to recuperate from the injury. He was undergoing intense rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru since returning to India. The selectors were to take a call on his availability after an assessment on his fitness.

However, according to Mumbai Mirror, Bhuvneshwar has failed to regain his full fitness. The report claimed that Bhuvneshwar has not recovered enough to be available for the last two Tests.

But a team source has told this paper that the mood is positive, the defeats in the first two Tests notwithstanding. Immediately after the Lord’s Test, there was a long meeting where some tough talking was done by the seniors and it was felt that the team should approach the series as a three-Test contest.

“We’ve agreed that we messed up in Lord’s and got outplayed. But the fact was when we batted the conditions were damp and when we bowled, the weather was sunny. It is not an excuse. But the fact was the luck was not on our side,” the source told Mumbai Mirror.

Meanwhile, the availability of Jasprit Bumrah would be a big boost for the visitors in Bhuvneshwar’s absence. Bumrah had missed the first two games due to a thumb injury but is fit for the third Test.

The game would get underway at Trent Bridge on Saturday.