Has Bhuvneshwar Kumar's injury put NCA under the scanner again?
What's the story
Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is nursing a hamstring and a side strain, as he has been out of action since the conclusion of the limited-overs series in the Windies. However, with no clarity on his recovery or rehabilitation, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) has come under the scanner once again for handling his progress and the situation. Here is why.
Official announcement
BCCI yet to officially announce Bhuvneshwar's injury
Interestingly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet officially announced the injury of Bhuvneshwar, while it said that he was unavailable during the squad selection for South Africa and Bangladesh series. Meanwhile, a report in Times of India states that Bhuvneshwar has been nursing the injury since July last year, as a result, putting the NCA under the scanner.
Quote
It's becoming a trend now at the NCA: BCCI official
"It's becoming a trend now at the NCA. As it is, the institution is fighting a label of just being a rehab center and these cases keep coming up. Saha lost a good year and half of his career," said a BCCI official to TOI.
Explanation
BCCI wants NCA to come up with an explanation
The official also said that the NCA should come up with an explanation as to if the injury is not serious, what's taking so long for Bhuvi to return to the field. "The board announced that Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya needed to travel to England. Bumrah didn't even need surgery," added the baffled official.
Immature treatment
BCCI unnerved by Bhuvneshwar's immature treatment
Having realized that Bhuvneshwar has been carrying the injury since July 2018, a BCCI official was convinced that the former has not been treated properly, leading to his sporadic appearances. "He is still one of the first choices for white-ball cricket but he needs to get back on to the field before building up for next year's T20 World Cup," another official told TOI.
Ganguly at NCA
Ganguly to meet NCA chief Rahul Dravid on domestic road-map
Meanwhile, as for making revolutionary changes in domestic cricket, Ganguly is also all set to meet NCA chief Rahul Dravid on Wednesday to discuss the road-map for the same. According to sources, Ganguly and Dravid would discuss the issues faced by the NCA and its way forward. "Yes, I've plans to revive NCA and I'm going to Bengaluru on October 30," said Ganguly.
Impressive Bhuvi
Bhuvneshwar continues to impress despite sporadic appearances
Considering Bhuvi's appearances since July 2018, while India have played 74 matches across formats, Bhuvi has managed to feature in 41 of them, where he has claimed 53 wickets at an average of 27.56. However, as per our analysis, the determination to make Bhuvi play in the ICC World Cup 2019 might have aggravated his injury, leading to his prolonged absence from the game.