Credit: Instagram
India’s very own Swing King Bhuvneshwar Kumar has sparked speculations about his future in international cricket after he removed the word 'cricketer' from his Instagram bio. The 33-year-old right-farmer, who has been struggling with injuries and form in recent times, now has a bio that reads: “Indian 🇮🇳 Family First. Pet lover. Casual Gamer,” instead of Indian cricketer.
In a T20I match against New Zealand at Napier in November 2022, Bhuvneshwar made his final appearance for India. In four overs, he failed to pick up a wicket, allowing India to tie the rain-delayed game on the basis of DLS. Due to performance and fitness difficulties, he has been out of the national colours ever since.
He made a decent comeback in the 2023 IPL edition, in which he managed to claim 16 wickets in 14 matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad at an economy rate of 8.83. Alongside being the best bowler for SRH in that season, he was the only player in the squad, who featured in every game for the team.
Bhuvneshwar's absence from the Indian team has been felt especially in the limited-overs formats, where he was once a key member of the pace attack. He has played 21 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 87 T20Is for India, taking 63, 141, and 90 wickets respectively. He is best remembered for his fiery ODI debut against Pakistan in the IND-PAK series of 2012, where he dismissed Mohammad Hafeez with an unplayable in-swinger on the very first ball of the match, as well as his career.
Fans and followers of the veteran have voiced their worry and interest in his choice to modify his Instagram bio. Some have questioned whether he has any plans to retire from cricket, while others have expressed optimism that he will soon stage a successful comeback. As of yet, Bhuvi has not released any formal statements regarding his cricketing career.
