Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes an impressive comeback playing for India A
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a good comeback to cricket playing for India A against South Africa A. Bhuvneshwar has been out of competitive cricket for over a month. The right-arm pacer has been troubled with a stiff back for some time now. He was rested for the Nidahas trophy in Sri Lanka and also missed quite a few matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Bhuvneshwar then missed the one-off Test against Afghanistan. Even though Bhuvneshwar was selected in the side for the England tour, he struggled with the same problem which eventually affected his bowling.
In order to allow him to regain full fitness, Bhuvneshwar wasn't selected in the squad for the Test series against England. He has been working hard in NCA since then and in a bid to prove his match fitness Bhuvneshwar was selected in the India A side for the third place playoff match against South Africa A.
Bhuvneshwar performed brilliantly taking 3 wickets in the 9 overs that he bowled. India A scored a competitive 275 runs in their 50 overs. Iyer scored 67 runs while Rayudu made 66. Thanks to Bhuvneshwar's controlled bowling, the visitors were reduced to 22 for 3. Bhuvi took two out of those three wickets and was on a hat-trick. At the end of his opening spell of six overs, Bhuvi's figures were 2 for 15.
South Africa A were eventually bundled out for 151 and Bhuvneshwar ended up with a figure of 3-33 in nine overs. He also bowled a maiden over. India A won the match comprehensively by 124 runs.
Bhuvneshwar's performance will bring a lot of joy to the selectors as they look to pick a strong Indian team for next month's Asia Cup. Bhuvneshwar along with Bumrah is the backbone of India's bowling and a fully fit Bhuvneshwar will be a big asset for the Indian team.