Bhuvneshwar Kumar is almost guaranteed to succeed in England. His control, swing and consistency make him as likely as James Anderson to pick up wickets in England with the red ball.
But given his poor fitness record over the last few months, the Indian management should not risk him for the final Test against England at The Oval, as is being speculated. As things stand, he has not been included in the squads for the final two Tests and has been asked to prove his match fitness in the quadrangular series in India where he will play for India B against South Africa A.
The 28-year-old seam bowler aggravated his lower back injury during the final ODI against England in July. Before that, he missed at least four IPL games due to the injury and did not play the Nidahas T20 Trophy or the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
And despite the time off, Bhuvneshwar’s back hasn’t healed properly. He looked ordinary during the three T20s and ODI and one can imagine what a less-than fit Bhuvneshwar can be like over five days in a Test.
Every day, England's players form a circle and laugh uproariously at how India managed Bhuvneshwar Kumar's injury.
— Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk) August 19, 2018
India are fighting their way back into the Test series and they did that by battering England with relentless pace coupled with movement off the pitch. Jasprit Bumrah consistently bowled at high pace in the third Test at Trent Bridge which India won by 203 runs.
He was given great support by Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya and although Mohammed Shami was off colour, his pace and intent has been right up there.
So why would you even think of breaking up that pack and bringing in a player who might break down in the middle of the match with possibly the series on the line?
The Indian team’s fitness management has been sub par this year. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was recovering from a finger fracture and ended up aggravating a mild shoulder injury.
Bhuvneshwar was rushed back from injury to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and that has undoubtedly had a deleterious impact. Even if the seamer bowls well in one one-day match this week, it does not mean he is ready for a Test in England.
The current bunch of quicks that India have are all operating at the top mark. If India manage to avoid defeat in Southampton or even win it, all pacers should retain their spots in the team for the final match. Bhuvneshwar should not be rushed back as the Indians already tried that in the third ODI against England and failed miserably, with wicket-keeper MS Dhoni standing up to the stumps to him at one stage.
