INDIAN CRICKET

“Bhuvneshwar should have been in England with India”- Salman Butt

tennis player

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has said that India should play Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the series against England and he equated the seamer with the skillsets of James Anderson when the conditions become conducive to seam and swing bowling.

The Indian team composition for the World Test Championship final came under a lot of scrutinies after their loss against New Zealand. India went in with three pacers and two spinners for the final in Southampton and when the conditions were ripe for swing and seam bowling, the team could have fared better with another seamer.

The Indian side is set to play the Englishmen in a 5 match test series, which will kick-off from the 4th of August. The Men in blue already have many excellent fast bowlers for this Test series, who can trouble the English batsmen. But after the WTC final, many former cricketers had said that Bhuvneshwar Kumar should have been given a chance in Team India.

Salman Butt on Bhuvneshwar:

Former Pakistani cricketer Salman Butt also gave his opinion about Bhuvi and said that he is not in this Test team which is a surprising decision. He said that, Bhuvneshwar is the best swing bowler of Team India and comes in the category of James Anderson.

“I feel Bhuvneshwar Kumar should have been in India. After all, he is the best swing bowler India has. The amount of swing and seam that was on offer on this pitch, he should have been there. The fast bowlers who played the final are all ‘hit the deck’ bowlers.”

As far as the numbers are concerned, Bhuvneshwar has picked 19 wickets and two fifers in England with an average of 26.63. Butt went on to compare him with James Anderson and said that he presents the seam and exploits conditions perfectly.

“In terms of bowlers who release the bowlers and swing it, Bhuvneshwar… he comes in the same category as James Anderson. He is that kind of a bowler.”– Butt added

As a matter of fact, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not part of India’s Test squad for the series against England. He is the vice-captain of the Indian side that is in Sri Lanka for the limited-overs series. This is the first instance when two senior Indian men’s teams will be operating simultaneously in bilateral series.

Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid is the head coach for the tour, and being the senior-most player in the side Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side. The tour will begin on the 13th of July, the team has already arrived and started training as well.

To Top