‘He's not at the peak of his fitness’ – Sanjay Manjrekar worried about Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s poor run in IPL 2021

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that there’s something wrong with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fitness. The Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler hasn’t been at his best in the second leg of the 2021 Indian Premier League, having picked up only two wickets from five games, although he hasn’t been overly expensive with the ball in hand.

In SRH’s previous game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday in Dubai, Kumar failed to pick up a wicket, but gave away only 20 runs in his four-over spell. Manjrekar said that the speedster’s form has taken a dip over the last couple of months. The veteran said that the pacer has dropped down on pace similar to Mumbai Indians’ Trent Boult.

You can’t criticize him for his bowling, says Sanjay Manjrekar

“When Bhuvi made his comeback during the home series against England, he was giving assurances that he’s back in his prime form again. But, then in Sri Lanka, it seemed like he’s not a hundred percent fit,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

“Again, in the ongoing IPL, we can clearly see that he’s not at the peak of his fitness. This is the only for his underwhelming form currently because you can’t criticize him for his bowling. He’s speed has dipped a bit now. Trent Boult is in a similar situation, where his pace has also taken a hit,” he added.

Bhuvneshwar is known for giving his team crucial breakthroughs upfront. But this season, he has only picked up three wickets in nine innings in the powerplay. He hasn’t been effective in the death overs as well due to which the SRH bowling attack has looked lacklustre.

Bhuvneshwar is also a part of Team India’s squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The mega event is scheduled to start on October 17 and India’s opening game is against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, October 24.

Earlier, former Indian batter Aakash Chopra also showed his concerns over Bhuvneshwar’s form in recent times. Chopra said that if the World Cup was to start tomorrow, he would go for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami as India’s lead pacers.