Once India’s go-to man in all three formats, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been in and out of the Indian team over the past couple of years. His ineffectiveness in the first ODI against South Africa was another matter of concern. Indian cricket legend, Sunil Gavaskar, is concerned over Bhuvneshwar losing his steam, especially in the final overs.
In the ODI series opener, Bhuvneshwar leaked a total of 64 runs in 10 overs without picking a single wicket. Though Shardul Thakur was also expensive, conceding 72 runs in 10 overs with a wicket, he made it up with the bat, scoring an unbeaten half-century.
“Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur leaked runs, though Thakur had made up for it somewhat by cracking an unbeaten half-century when SA had eased the pressure. For some time now, Bhuvneshwar has not been able to stem the runs in the final overs like he used to,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Times of India.
“That this series doesn’t count for points in the ICC Super League is a blessing. India being the host country will get an automatic entry, but that route is not for this Indian team,” he said on the series.
It’s the Indian middle-order that remains another matter of concern for Gavaskar. While Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli gave India a solid foundation with their respective half-centuries in the first ODI, the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer failed to make their innings count.
“The middle order floundered after the terrific partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, as Pant and the two Iyers were unable to cash in and take the team home. Pant, in recent times, has been used at no.4 in the ODIs where he has not quite found the right mix of patience and aggression, so maybe it might be a good idea to use him as finisher at no.6, where he can throw his bat at will without having to bother too much about the situation,” the Indian cricket legend opined.
