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'Every time we meet, I have an argument with him': Shastri says India star 'lost 50 Test wickets' due to fitness issues
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri opened up on the Indian cricketer, and revealed that he has an ‘argument’ with him every time they meet.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have had an inconsistent season in the 2022 Indian Premier League. The side began with two straight losses but recovered brilliantly to secure five wins on the trot; however, just as the SRH seemed to become the prime contenders for a top-4 spot, they lost the plot again, succumbing to five straight defeats. In their last match, Hyderabad ended the losing streak against Mumbai Indians to keep themselves alive in the contention for playoff qualification. Follow IPL 2022 Coverage
One of the positives for Hyderabad in this season has been their pace attack. While Umran Malik justifiably stood out with his incredible speed throughout the season (he currently holds the record for the fastest delivery in the edition at 157 kph), senior players Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan also bowled with consistency. While Umran (21 wickets) and Natarajan (18 wickets) are among the top-10 in the highest wicket-takers list, Bhuvneshwar has 12 dismissals to his name but bowled with a brilliant economy rate of 7.19 so far.
In their last match, Bhuvneshwar bowled a wicket-maiden in the 19th over of the run-chase, which proved to be the game-changer as SRH registered a narrow 3-run win over Rohit Sharma's MI.
Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri spoke in detail about Bhuvneshwar's impressive performances in the IPL, and revealed that he often argues with the senior pacer over his fitness. According to Shastri, Bhuvneshwar can be a regular for India in all formats if he stays fit.
“I'm not surprised at all. Every time I meet Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar), I have an argument with him. I say, if he can only focus and work harder on his fitness… his experience and ability in all formats of the game is remarkable. Every time we toured England or New Zealand, the guy was unfit,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
“I said, ‘you lost yourself 50 red ball wickets in the last couple of years’. If he stays fit, he is an automatic choice in the Indian team, forget Sunrisers,” said Shastri further.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar appeared for India in their previous T20I series against Sri Lanka; however, his last appearance in the longest format of the game came way back in 2018, when India toured South Africa in January.
