Correspondent, 22 October: Veteran Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar suffered an injury during the opening fixture of the ongoing five-match T20 series between India and New Zealand on Thursday. The incident unfolded as he made his return to the field during the New Zealand tour in Christchurch after a gap of nearly four years, or exactly 1430 days.
The injury occurred while he was bowling the 16th over of the New Zealand innings. On the third delivery, Bevan Jacobs struck a shot that Bhuvneshwar attempted to intercept in his follow-through, resulting in the ball hitting his wrist forcefully. Writhing in pain, the bowler required the physio to be immediately summoned to the field for an examination.
The 16th over had begun with Glenn Phillips playing a pull shot towards midwicket to collect two runs. He followed this with a single on the second delivery. During this sequence, Jacobs also smashed a brilliant six towards long-off off a back-of-a-length delivery.
Leading the Indian bowling attack, Bhuvneshwar bowled a highly economical first over, conceding just four runs. However, he was unable to secure a single wicket throughout the match, ultimately giving away 49 runs across his four overs. He had previously been included for the fifth T20 match against the West Indies, but that game was cancelled due to rain, preventing him from playing. Fans were ultimately pleased to finally see him bowl in this match.
The exact severity of Bhuvneshwar's injury remains unknown. Consequently, it is not yet clear whether he will participate in the next match of the series. If the injury proves serious and forces him to miss the upcoming game, it will be a major disappointment for the fans. It now remains to be seen if he will get the opportunity to play and claim a wicket in the next fixture.
