Bhuvneshwar Kumar to make Test comeback for India after five years? 'Swing King' to play Ranji Trophy matches

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who hasn't played in any format for India since November 2022, can make his comeback in January when India take on England in a five-Test series starting January 25.

The 33-year-old pacer last played a Test match for India back in January 2018 against South Africa in Johannesburg. Bhuvneshwar hasn't played a red-ball game even at domestic level, and therefore his last Test match is also his last first-class match.

However, his sabbatical from red-ball cricket is set to end with the upcoming Ranji Trophy 2024. Gopal Sharma, the chairman of the UPCA’s Selection Advisory Committee, has revealed that the 'Swing King' would be available for UP's second match against Bengal from January 12.

“Bhuvneshwar is occupied with some personal commitments and he will also be available for the second encounter,” Gopal Sharma, the chairman of the UPCA’s Selection Advisory Committee told News18.

The Meerut-born cricketer has had a stellar run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2023. He finished as the joint third-highest wicket-taker (16 wickets at an average of 9.31) in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also picked 11 wickets in five matches at an average of 16.90 in Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not find a place in India's T20I squad for the series against Australia, and in the following T20I and ODI series against South Africa, however, a solid outing in the Ranji Trophy can help him get in the squad for the almost 2-month-long Test series.

India lost the first Test against South Africa by an innings and 32 runs on Thursday. The pace unit looked inexperienced in the absence of injured Mohammed Shami. Prasidh Krishna, who was playing his first Test match, looked very unimpressive.

Adding Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Test squad is still very unlikely but his inclusion will bring in a lot of experience to the table, and make the workload management process of the pacers during the long series easier.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has played a total of 21 Test matches in which he has picked 63 wickets at an average of 26.09. He has also scored 552 runs at an average of 22.08. He has hit three fifties, and picked three five-wicket hauls in the Test format.

UP squad vs Kerala

Aryan Juyal, Madhav Kaushik, Smarth Singh, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Sameer Rizvi, Karan Sharma, Akshdeep Nath, Priyam Garg, Prince Yadav, Yash Dayal, Ankit Rajput, Kartik Tyagi, Kuldeep Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.