India played the WTC finals against New Zealand and lost the game. They went with a stable 3 pacer 2 spinners approach. Jadeja was under-bowled and was picked in the side on account of his batting. India went with their best-pace trifecta of Ishant Sharma, Bumbrah, and Shami. However, as the match progressed, it was clear that India’s best pacer Bumbrah was not his best.
Bumrah returned with no wickets in the match. Shami bowled his heart out in the first innings to pick up 4 wickets but did not find support. Ishant blew hot and cold through both innings. The most important conclusion was that the Indian pacers could not swing the ball like their Kiwi counterparts.
India did have Siraj in their 15 member squad and Shardul in their overall squad, but both did not make it to the final eleven. In a country like England, where the ball swings wildly under overcast conditions, it was a risky call by India to not go for an out an out swing bowler. They did pay for this error. India will play a five-match test series against England and they will be against the swing kings Broad and Anderson. India needs to have their best swing bowling specialists in the playing eleven as well as in the squad.
There are calls from various quarters as to why Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of India’s best swing bowlers and a proven candidate in England, is not part of the squad. His record in England in the 2014 and 2018 tours is enviable. He has 19 wickets in England from the 5 matches that he has played. Additionally, Kumar has 4 5fers and his best figure is 6-82 in Lords in 2014. He picks a wicket every 26 balls. With these kinds of numbers and conditions tailor-made for his success, it is astonishing that Bhuvneshwar did not make it to the squad.
The other aspect affecting India’s performance is the sheer inability of the Indian tail to score some valuable runs. The tail was wiped off cheaply by the Kiwi pacers in the WTC finals. In contrast to this, Bhuvneshwar scored 58 and 63* in the 1st test of the 2014 series in Lords. India went on to win that test and Bhuvi’s batting was instrumental in the win.
He scored 3 half-centuries in that series and became the first Indian to do so. His compact defense and ability to bide time at the crease stood him apart in that tour. India needs someone like him to lower down the order to bolster the batting in case there is a top or middle-order collapse.
Therefore, in the larger scheme of things, it seems as if the selectors and the team management missed a trick by not picking Kumar. There were rumors about him not wanting to play red-ball cricket anymore and concentrate on white-ball cricket. However, Kumar himself rubbished these on Twitter and declared himself available for tests.
He also happens to be the vice-captain on the Sri Lanka tour. Looking at the match against New Zealand, it would be prudent for India to add Kumar to the squad for the Tests against England. Even if he is just to able play the final 2 or 3 tests, it would benefit the team. His experience and skill make him an indispensable member of the Indian squad to England.
