Being on and off the field either because of an injury or after being awarded a rest to avoid burnout has actually hampered Bhuvneshwar  Kumar’s rhythm in ODIs.


After suffering a back injury that ruled him out of the entire Test series in England, Kumar returned to the Indian squad in the Asia Cup only to be rested for the Test series and the first part of the ODI series against West Indies.


The India vs West Indies third ODI at Pune was in fact, Kumar’s first ODI at home this year. The medium pacer, who is pivotal to India’s World Cup plans looked rusty and leaked runs both with the new and old bowl, conceding  70 runs a solitary wicket of Jason Holder, which India lost by 43 runs.


2018 has been a rather indifferent year for India’s spearhead. Where his new ball partner Jasprit Bumrah has gone from strength to strength to establish himself as one of the best limited overs bowlers in the world, Bhuvneshwar has shown signs of the going in the opposite direction.


From 12 ODIs in 2018, Bhuvneshwar averages the worst as compared the other calendar years.