One of India’s great swing bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not been playing international cricket for a while now yet he managed to hit the headlines after reports suggested that he made a change in his Instagram bio. The right-arm speedster reportedly took off the word 'cricketer' from his bio. As a result, fans on social media have been guessing that the player might have decided to retire. Notably, the last time Bhuvneshwar played for India was back in November last year in a T20I game against New Zealand.
Though fans have seen him play all 14 games for SunRisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
"You have played enough cricket so no need to prove to anyone else... Enjoy your rest of life with your family", and "Show me a better inswinger than Bhuvi" were some of the remarks made by the fans.
After making his India debut in 2012, the veteran pacer played in 21 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 87 T20Is for India. In the red ball format, he scalped 63 wickets at an average of 26.09 with an economy rate of 2.94. His best bowling figures are 6/82 and those in a match are 8/96. Bhuvneshwar has also been a useful batsman in the longest format where he scored 552 runs in 29 innings at an average of over 22 with three fifties. His best individual score in the format is 63 not out.
In the 50-over format, Kumar bagged 141 wickets at an average of 35.11 and an economy rate of 5.08. His best bowling figures in the format are 5/42. He also took 90 wickets in 87 T20Is at an average of 23.10 and an economy rate of 6.96. His best bowling figures in the format are 5/4. Since pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, and Umesh Yadav along side Umran Mallik, and Siraj are there in the Indian setup, it is difficult for Bhuvneshwar to make a comeback now.