IND vs SL 2021: Shreevats Goswami hits back at commentator for indirectly calling Bhuvneshwar Kumar old after his brilliant catch against Sri Lanka
Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a brilliant catch to dismiss Dhananjaya de Silva in the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka. De Silva tried to clear cover from a flighted delivery by Krunal Pandya. However, he did not get the power or placement and ended up chipping it towards long-off. Bhuvneshwar Kumar ran in to complete a good low catch.
The commentator then mentioned that one normally sees younger players fielding at long-on and long-off, where Kumar took that catch. Indian cricketer Shreevats Goswami took to his Twitter account to hit back at such commentary.
He questioned the idea of age being a criterion to tag players. Goswami opined that age is not a factor that dictates good or bad fielding. The commentator involved in this controversy is none other than Murali Kartik.
Ever since Virat Kohli took over the captaincy of the Indian team, the focus on fitness has been a top priority. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, even after facing a lot of injuries, is still in good shape, which pays testament to his supreme fitness levels.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs to use this series to claim his spot in the Indian team
Constant injuries have meant that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not played too much cricket recently. The series versus Sri Lanka is the perfect opportunity for him to cement his spot in the Indian team. Kumar has been one of India's most dependable bowlers in all formats alongside Jasprit Bumrah, and it is time for him to show his class once again.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled nine overs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka and went wicketless, conceding 63 runs. He did not have a good day on the field and would look to come back stronger in the next game. Kumar was erratic in the death overs and needs to work on his line and length ahead of the second ODI.
India won the match with ease as they chased down 263 runs with seven wickets and 80 balls to spare. Prithvi Shaw was awarded the Player of the Match award for his brilliant 24-ball 43 at the top of the order. Shikhar Dhawan (86) and Ishan Kishan (59) scored half-centuries as well.
The tour of Sri Lanka consists of three ODI's followed by three T20I's. Even though a young Indian team has been picked for this series, they have been considered as firm favorites.
This will be India's last limited-overs series before the T20 World Cup later this year. All the players within the squad will be looking to perform well and earn a spot in the squad for the showpiece event.