Is Bhuvneshwar Kumar overrated in ODI matches as a bowler?
All tickets are sold out for India vs Pakistan match today in the Asia Cup tournament, being held at UAE. Before the match, India is likely to make two changes in the team, Hardik Pandya in for Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah back into the playing XI.
Now, the team management have a serious headache regarding whom to exclude from the starting XI, between Bhuvi and Khaleel Ahmed, to adjust Bumrah in the team. Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar wasn't able to get rid of any Hong Kong players yesterday, Khaleel Ahmed bowled pretty well, bagging 3 wickets in his debut ODI match.
Not only in the previous match, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been failing for a very long time. Since the start of 2018, he has only managed to pick up 2 wickets after bowling 49 overs. Though he's often regarded as an economical bowler, he has been conceding more than 6 runs per over in 2018.
To be honest, he was never good enough to be called India's leading fast bowler. He has bagged 90 wickets in 88 matches in ODIs, at a poor average of 39.41 and strike rate of 47.11; even his economy rate exceeds 5. Bhuvi is set to become the slowest Indian bowler (excluding all-rounders and part-timers) to complete 100 ODI wickets.
Just because of the excellence of Jasprit Bumrah with the ball, Bhuvi's constant failures are being ignored. Even the pundits and fans who criticize Indian batsmen for their failures haven't spoken a single word about Bhuvi.
In conditions that don't offer swing bowling, he seems to be helpless, as his pace is not good enough to trouble today's batsmen.
Keeping these things in mind, Khaleel Ahmed should be given a chance in India's next match versus Pakistan. This means that Bhuvi makes way for Bumrah in the team. Khaleel Ahmed has had an impressive List A career so far, ths earning him a spot in the Indian XI versus Hong Kong. Moreover, he would be the perfect candidate for the role of the left-arm pacer for India at the moment.
Khaleel Ahmed has been impressive lately, as he has picked up at least one wicket in his last 10 List A matches. So it should be the time for the rise of the young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed and also time for India to get rid of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the ODIs.
Now, it's up to the Indian team management, as they need to choose between experience and performance against the in-form Pakistani side.