India vs West Indies: BCCI names replacement for injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar for ODI series

The Men in Blue were dominant in the third and final T20I against West Indies as they registered a commanding 67-run victory against Keiron Pollard and Co. India bounced back on the scene after suffering a defeat in the second T20I of the series.

Skipper Virat Kohli, who was awarded ‘Player of the Series’, led from the front and played a quick-fire 70* off 29 balls in the third T20I, steering India to the series win. After clinching the T20I series against West Indies 2-1, Virat Kohli and his troops are set to lock horns with the Caribbean side in a three-match ODI series.

However, the hosts have suffered a major blow as they could miss the services of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the upcoming ODI series. The ace-bowler had complained of pain after India’s 67-run-win over the defending T20I champions in the final match of the series. Bhuvneshwar’s career has been plagued with injuries since the past 18-20 months. The right-handed pacer has not played a Test match since the 2018 tour of South Africa– where he was India’s Player of the Series.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s career has been plagued with injuries since the past couple of years

Bhuvneshwar made his comeback to the Indian side in the T20I series against West Indies. After failing to impress in the first two T20I, the 29-year-old delivered a formidable performance in the third T20I. With the injury clouds hovering around Bhuvneshwar, Shardul Thakur is set to replace him for the ODI series against West Indies starting in Chennai on Sunday, as reported by Sportstar. This might prove to be a great opportunity for Thakur, who can increase his chances to cement his place for next year’s T20 World Cup.

Hailing from Maharashtra, Shardul Thakur has donned the Indian jersey in seven T20I and has scalped seven wickets including a four-wicket haul. The Mumbai pacer was preferred over Umesh Yadav, who had delivered a splendid performance in the Test series against Bangladesh.

With Navdeep Saini still recovering to make his comeback, the MSK Prasad-led selection panel was confused between Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav. The selection panel eventually picked the Mumbai pacer to be a part of Indian bowling force against West Indies.

Shardul is set to become the second-injury replacement for the series. Earlier, Mayank Agarwal, who has already showcased his calibre with the red ball, was roped in place of injured Shikhar Dhawan.

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