Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 5 best bowling spells in Test cricket
India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was in top form in the first session of play on Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa in Newlands.
Indian cricket team seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar wrecked South Africa’s top order in a brilliant opening spell on Friday, reducing the hosts to 12/3 inside five overs after they decided to bat on Day 1 of the first Test at Newlands, Cape Town. (Blog | Scorecard)
Bhuvneshwar started off on a rusty note with a couple of deliveries going astray first-up. But once he got his rhythm, South Africa found it difficult to cope with the probing lines of the right-arm seamer, who provided India an early advantage.
READ | Jasprit Bumrah makes Test debut for Indian cricket team at Cape Town
Bhuvneshwar accounted for Dean Elgar — South Africa’s highest Test run-getter in 2017 — for a third-ball duck and went on to remove Aiden Markram (5) and Hashim Amla (3) in his first three overs.
With the Indian bowler providing a rollicking start, let us take a look at some of his best spells in Test cricket:
1. 5/82 v England, Nottingham, 2014: In a Test wherein he scored 58 and added 111 runs with fellow pacer Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in England’s only innings. The contest ended in a tame draw.
2. 6/82 v England, Lord’s, 2014: While this Test is remembered for Ishant Sharma’s match-winning spell that helped India win at the ‘Home of Cricket’ after 28 years, Bhuvneshwar was one of the heroes in their win. After India were bowled out for 295 in their first innings, Bhuvneshwar limited England’s advantage by picking 6/82 to keep their lead to a mere 24 runs.
READ | Here is why AB de Villiers could become India’s nemesis in South Africa
3. 5/33 v West Indies, Gros Islet, 2016: After some stubborn resistance shown by the hosts’ batsmen, Bhuvneshwar’s swing bowling skills came into play. Giving away a mere 33 runs in 23.4 overs, Bhuvneshwar not only kept a lid on the Caribbean batsmen but also ran through them once the top order was removed. His spell gave India a 128-run lead, and they went on to win by 237 runs.
4. 5/48 v New Zealand, Kolkata, 2016: In his comeback Test at home, Bhuvneshwar made full use of a green-top Eden Gardens’ wicket under overcast conditions, cleaning up three out of his five dismissals and trapping one in front of the wicket. Once again, his spell gave India a lead of more than 100 runs in the first innings, and the hosts went on to win by a handsome margin.
5. 4/88 and 4/8 v Sri Lanka, Kolkata, 2017: In India’s last-moment push for a victory with Sri Lanka playing all sorts of tricks to delay the game in final day’s last session, Bhuvneshwar looked unplayable on each of his deliveries in the second innings. The first innings might have been hard work for the right-arm pacer, but he was at his peak in the second.
READ | South Africa have a score to settle vs India, says skipper Faf du Plessis
Mind you, the first Test’s wicket at Eden Gardens was readied keeping in mind the wickets India would play on their future tours of South Africa, England, Australia and New Zealand.
