How will Bhuvneshwar’s injury affect India’s plans?
After the big win against Pakistan in Manchester, India were dealt a huge blow that pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar would miss the next three matches due to a hamstring strain. The pacer looked in good rhythm and was troubling the Pakistani openers. But midway through bowling his third over, Kumar slipped on the footmarks and limped off the field. He would not bowl any further in the match.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli speaking after the match confirmed Bhuvneshwar’s injury and revealed the duration of his absence:
“Bhuvi’s case looks like a niggle, a case of slipping on the footmarks. It doesn’t look too serious at the moment and looks like he could recover in a couple of games from now, a maximum of three games. He is going to be an important factor for us so hopefully, he can recover in time. But we have Shami with us and it shouldn’t be much of a worry for us. Even Bhuvi doesn’t think his niggle is too bad and that time would heal it.”
A big blow
Bhuvneshwar missing out the next couple of matches will certainly be a big blow for the team management. The bowling unit was settled with all the four frontline bowlers having clearly defined roles. Bhuvneshwar was tasked with getting the opening breakthroughs for India and also played a crucial role in the death overs with his variations coming in handy. With his loss, there will certainly be a slight tweak in the strategy of the Indian bowling department.
Who will replace him?
As Kohli mentioned, Mohammed Shami will be the frontrunner to replace Bhuvi in the starting XI. Though a different kind of bowler, Shami will offer his own set of challenges to the batsmen. He will bring some extra pace in the bowling department and will hit the deck harder compared to Kumar. He was in good form during the IPL, which will be a bonus for India. The management though could also spring a surprise by including Ravindra Jadeja and go with three spinners if the pitches are a rank turner. Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar would act as the second and third seamers in such a scenario. But the chances of this happening look extremely rare.
