Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Bhuvneshwar Kumar named in UP squad
Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was picked in the Uttar Pradesh squad for the first two matches of the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Notably, the 30-year-old was not picked in UP's initial list of 26 probables released on December 21. As per reports, the Indian speedster has recovered from the thigh injury he sustained during the IPL 2020 season. Here is more.
It is understood that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) has given a go-ahead to Bhuvneshwar for playing in the tournament. However, for sufficient back-up, UP have picked as many as seven fast bowlers in the squad of 22. He will now fly to Alur (Bengaluru) from Delhi on Saturday along with team-mate Suresh Raina, while the other members of the team will leave separately.
The thigh tear that Bhuvneshwar suffered during the IPL can take anything between six weeks and six months to recover. Considering his injury, it was believed that he may not be able to play competitive cricket, and will thereby end up missing the domestic T20 tournament. However, a source tracking the development said he has shown improvement of late.
"Bhuvneshwar has made strides over the past few days and has also been training at a ground in Greater Noida West (Noida Extension) for the past couple of days, bowling as well as batting," said the source.
In the recent past, Bhuvneshwar's career has been curtailed with a spate of injuries. Earlier this year, he underwent a sports hernia surgery, following which he competed in the DY Patil T20 tournament. Bhuvneshwar, who was once the mainstay bowler for Team India across formats, hasn't played international cricket since December 2019. The upcoming domestic tournament will be his pathway for an international comeback.
UP's squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Priyam Garg (captain), Karn Sharma (vice-captain), Suresh Raina, Rinku Singh, Madhav Kaushik, Samarth Singh, Shubham Choubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Aryan Juyal (wicket-keeper), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohsin Khan, Shivam Mavi, Shiva Singh, Shanu Saini Standby: Aaquib Khan, Sameer Choudhary, Mohit Jangra, Hardeep Singh, Abhishek Goswami, Nalin Mishra, Purnank Tyagi
