Rubbishing ongoing rumors about his future with Team India in the longest and oldest format, senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has shared a befitting response following his much-debated ouster from the 20-man squad of the Virat Kohli-led side for the high-profile tour to the United Kingdom (UK). Regarded as one of the finest seamers in the current Indian batch, pacer Bhuvneshwar was not named in the star-studded Team India squad for the ICC World Test Championship final which will be followed by the five-match Test series against England. 

Following Bhuvneshwar’s omission from the Test squad, the name of the Indian pacer was mentioned in a report which stated that the drive of senior fast bowler to play Test cricket has ‘gone missing’. Issuing a stern response of his own on Saturday, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) superstar took to Twitter and urged his critics to avoid banking on reports based on “sources”. 

“There have been articles about me not wanting to play Test cricket. Just to clarify, I have always prepared myself for all three formats irrespective of the team selection and will continue to do the same. Suggestion – please don’t write your assumptions based on “sources”!,” Bhuvneshwar said in his tweet on Saturday. 

“Bhuvneshwar just doesn’t want to play Test cricket anymore. That drive has gone missing,” the report in The Times of India quoted the sources tracking the development.  “To be honest, the selectors don’t even see Bhuvi hungry for 10 overs, forget Test cricket. It’s Team India’s loss no doubt, because if one bowler should have made it to England, it should have been him,” the report added. 

Bhuvneshwar last represented Team India in the longest format in 2018. Nicknamed Bhuvi, the 31-year-old has played only 21 matches for the No.1 Test side in the international arena. The Indian pacer made his Test debut against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in 2013.