Dhawal Kulkarni did not make it to the 15-member India squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup but the Mumbai pacer could well feature in the tournament. Citing an injury problem to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Indian team management has asked the medium pacer to stay back in Australia as a back-up option.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been dealing with injuries since the beginning of the Australian tour and reports suggest that he suffered yet another niggle while bowling in India's first warm-up match against Australia. He landed badly while bowling his fifth over and since then, the 25-year-old swing bowler has been sidelined again.
Bhuvneshwar bowled only five overs against Australia and didn't come out to bat. He also missed the second warm-up game against Afghanistan on Tuesday. Bhuvneshwar's fitness has been under the scanner and even in the few games he featured in Australia, the pacer from Uttar Pradesh has bowled well below his pace and hasn't been able to swing the ball.
Although, Bhuvneshwar has not been ruled out of the tournament like his senior teammate Ishant Sharma, the team management had asked Kulkarni to stay back as an emergency back-up. The ICC rules do not permit players outside the 15-member squad to enter the dressing room, hence Kulkarni will be in the BCCI box during the World Cup matches. Ishant was replaced by Mohit Sharma.