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Two back-to-back defeats at the hand of a relatively inexperienced South African side will leave a deep scar to this Indian side. Although the team is under transition phase and there are youngsters in the lineup, the performance of the experienced players is what has raised eyebrows. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Shreyas Iyer as well, have not produced the kind of performance the team management would have expected from them. Of all the four aforementioned names, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's tops the list when it comes to disappointing performances.
It's not that he has failed miserably. But the standards and reputation he has set for himself in international cricket, he has not come even closer to it in this series, leave aside fulfilling it. It may sound a bit harsh on Kumar who has been a vital cog in India's bowling attack in the last few years. He has also had his share of ups and downs but held his position of the best swing bowler India have for a long period. But now after this South Africa series, there will be questions in unison asking 'Is it the time for India to move on from Bhuvneshwar Kumar?'
Kumar has bowled 18 overs so far in the two games of this ODI series against South Africa. He has conceded 131 runs at an economy rate of 7.27 runs per over. Plus, he has failed to claim a wicket. In 2021, Bhuvneshwar featured in 5 ODIs for India and bowled 48 overs. He claimed 9 wickets at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 32. It seemed like he was making a comeback to the side but the two games portray a completely opposite story. His dot percentage has dropped to 42.6 from 61.5 in 2022. Maybe it's just two bad games but looking at the time left for the next World Cup, India will not want to repeat past mistakes of leaving things for the last moment.
Who can be the replacement then?
The first and foremost name that comes to mind for Bhuvneshwar Kumar's replacement is Deepak Chahar. He is the like-for-like replacement for Kumar with an added advantage of batting skills. Chahar may not have the numbers to talk about but he has shown what he is capable of doing whenever there has been an opportunity. His white-ball numbers are pretty good. Chahar has claimed 29 wickets (6 in ODIs, 23 in T20Is) from 22 games (5 ODIs, 17 T20Is). He has also contributed with the bat too. In 5 ODIs, he has scored 87 runs with the highest score of 69* which he smashed last year against Sri Lanka and won the match for India.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also has a similar opinion for Bhuvneshwar Kumar's replacement. Gavaskar picked Chahar to replace Kumar and urged BCCI to keep him in the core team for the 2023 World Cup. "I think it's time to look at Deepak Chahar now. He is younger, pretty much the same kind of bowler, and bats handily down the order," Gavaskar said on Sports on Saturday after India's defeat to South Africa.