Bhuvneshwar Kumar does not want to play Test cricket anymore - Report

India's fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was not picked in India's squad for World Test Championship (WTC) final and Test series against England, reportedly does not want to play Test cricket anymore.

Team India is set to take on New Zealand in the 2019-21 WTC final next month before locking horns with England in a five-match Test series, starting August. In their fast-bowling department, India have picked Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, and Shardul Thakur.

In England, a bowler thrives on swing and seam and Bhuvneshwar could have been an asset for India. However, according to a report in the Times of India, the pacer has changed his work-drills, inclines more towards the white-ball game.

"Bhuvneshwar just doesn't want to play Test cricket anymore. That drive has gone missing. Those who have seen him from close insist he brought in a huge change in his work-drills a couple of seasons ago, doing away with heavy weight training, falling to the lure of the white-ball comfort and avoiding those hours of long spells that are so integral to red-ball cricket. 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," said those tracking Bhuvneshwar's developments, according to the Times of India.

"Ishant has been the backbone of India's attack, and rightly so, but when was the last time he worked his way through an entire series? Injury relapses and niggles have been a constant irritant. That will leave the bulk of the responsibility on two pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Their hard work, recent performances and the ability to deal with the given conditions have been a plus. Umesh is around, but he's been a lottery at most times," a source was quoted by Times of India, as saying in an interview.

On reaching England, the Indian team will undergo eight days of quarantine. The first four days will be spent in isolation and the final four will be in restricted spaces.

"Bowlers who travel to England usually require two weeks to get a hang of what line and length to bowl on the wickets there. It's the early onset of summer but things always get tricky in the UK," said a team source.

Bhuvneshwar, who made his Test debut in 2013, has represented India 21 times in the longest format of the game. He has picked up 63 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls and three four-fors so far in Tests.