Shared News | Updated: July 21, 2018 8:12:05 pm
However, Sachin Tendulkar was quick to remind that the absence of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah in the first Test will not affect the morale of the side and especially skipper Virat Kohli.
Indian bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar of India misses a catch on the first day of their Test match between South Africa and India at Newlands Stadium, in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, Jan 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s untimely back injury could well jeopardize India’s chances of winning the five-match Test series against England. Kumar, who has been an integral part of India’s recent success in the longer format would have been a valuable asset against England’s batting. Concurring to it legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar also believes that Bhuvi’s injury is a real setback but India should focus on the job ahead.
“Bhuvi’s injury (stiff back) is a real setback for India. I for one was expecting a lot from him. He has over the years performed at a level that you expect a certain kind of performance from him. With his ability to swing the ball, he was going to be very critical to India’s scheme of things during the Test series,” Tendulkar told PTI.
“And let’s not forget those runs that Bhuvi scored in England during the last series (2014). He is a decent enough batsman, who could string those partnerships at the back end of the innings. But then, I believe that we still have a lot of quality in our pace department (Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur),” he added.
Another Indian seamer who will be out of action is Jasprit Bumrah. But according to Tendulkar, his absence was felt more in the ODI series. “Bumrah was certainly missed by India in the ODI series during those crucial death overs where he has been a champion bowler. He has started off well in Test cricket and this series is a wonderful opportunity for him. But he is expected to come back during the second Test. So I am hoping for the best,” Tendulkar said.
However, the master-blaster was quick to remind that the absence of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah in the first Test will not affect the morale of the side and especially skipper Virat Kohli.
Citing the 1997 series against Pakistan, Tendulkar said, “Let me give you an example of my playing days. I was the captain during the 1997 Sahara Cup in Toronto. The Indian team didn’t have Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble. Yet, we beat Pakistan 4-1 (series best remembered for Sourav Ganguly’s four back to back MoM awards). I don’t think we should call India a depleted side as it is being unfair to the others, who will be playing in the series.
“What I am trying to say is that you might just get the best out of your resources in adverse conditions. Just because you don’t have certain key players doesn’t mean that you will have a certain kind of result. It never happens like that in any sport. Accepted that it’s not a great thing to go into a big series without your key player but then you just have to move on and focus on your job ahead,” he concluded.
