'No matter how well you perform......' Has Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a cryptic statement against Indian team selectors?

Very bowlers have made a stirring impact across all three formats for India like Bhuvneshwar Kumar did in his prime years. While his style of bowling made him a new-ball specialist who could swing the ball viciously, the Meerut pacer added more strings to his bow with pace variations and also aced death bowling, making him a force to reckon with in T20 cricket. His fitness meant he had to virtually give up on Tests but white-ball cricket continued its association with Bhuvi.

His accuracy with the new-ball and composure at the death made Bhuvi an asset in the bowling department but he hasn't played for India since November 2022. At 35, he isn't getting any younger but there are enough examples around to suggest that age doesn't really have much to do with T20 quality. However, India are on a dream run in the shortest format, having won the T20 World Cup in 2024 and barely dropping a game in the last two years. So, continuity might have been a reason in Bhuvi's continues non-selection. Or is there somethimg more to it? It is a season where we have seen big retirements in various formats in the form of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara but Bhuvi doesn't seem to be in the mood just yet.

Currently captaining the Lucknow Falcons in the UP T20 League, Bhuvi has led the side into the playoffs and his side also won the eliminator on Wednesday (September 3). Bhuvi was at his best with the ball, returning figures of 2-26 from his four overs. The veteran pacer has 11 wickets from 12 games in this year's UP T20 League, at an average of 19 and economy of 6.73. These are the kind of numbers that you would associate with Bhuvi and his form suggests that he could be good enough to play even for India in the coming months. Bhuvi, though, chose not to play a shot at that question.

“The selectors will tell you that. My job is to give my 100% on the field and I am doing that,” said Bhuvi at the post-match presentation after Falcons's 23-run win against Gorakhpur Lions.

“If I get to play Mushtaq Ali, Ranji or one-day matches for UP, I’ll give my best there too. As a disciplined bowler, my focus is on fitness and line-and-length. Sometimes, luck doesn’t favour you, no matter how well you perform.”