Bhuvneshwar Kumar to return home for rehabilitation; players unhappy with NCA system

Bengaluru, July 19: Bhuvneshwar Kumar will miss the first three Tests against England as he will be undergoing an intense rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) here. The news comes amidst the widespread talks that several senior players are unhappy with the fitness regime at the NCA.

A BCCI release on Wednesday (July 18) had mentioned that Bhuvneshwar Kumar "aggravated" a lower back issue while playing the third ODI against England at Leeds, Headingley, and was subsequently not named in the Test squad to face England.

Another pacer Jasprit Bumrah too will not play the first Test at Edgbaston, starting from August 1, but he will be available for the second Test subject to him clearing the fitness test.

As per some reports, Bhuvneshwar, who had missed five matches in IPL 2018 while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, passed the fitness test before the team management decided to include him in the playing XI at Leeds. He was also cleared the yo yo test at the NCA last month before embarking on the England tour. In view of the England trip, Bhuvneshwar was also rested for the one-off Test against Afghanistan last month.

Sweating it out in the gym are #TeamIndia boys as they gear up for the long tour ahead. pic.twitter.com/AQi66K1ix6

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 24, 2018

The unclear picture on Bhuvneshwar's injury management has raised some serious questions about the role of Indian team's physios Shankar Basu and Patrick Farhart. It's learnt that a section of the BCCI has asked the duo to furnish the details on why the yo yo test should be considered mandatory for team selection.

"We haven't really got a clear picture about Bhuvi. If you are saying that Bhuvi has aggravated the injury it means that he is already injured. If he was injured then how he could clear the yo yo test? Why was he allowed to play? We need some answers to these questions from the Indian team physios and management. We have a very important Test series against England is coming up and there we are without two of our best fast bowlers - Bhuvi and Bumrah. We cannot allow such situations," said a BCCI official.

It has also been reported that some players are unhappy with the training regime at the NCA - overseen by Basu and Soham Desai, who is currently with the India U-19 side in England, - is not improving their skill sets as the strength based training system is not suiting every member of the squad.