3rd Test: Bhuvneshwar Kumar Aims For Improved Fitness After Wonderful Comeback

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had been plagued by an ankle injury during India's tour to Australia in 2014/15. In the Sydney Test, he was down on fitness and delivered a below-par performance with the ball as India lost the series 2-0 to Australia.

After 18 months of building up speed and fitness, the right-arm pacer found his touch in the third Test against West Indies in St.Lucia as he picked up his third five-wicket haul in Tests, finishing with 5/33 as India led by 285 runs at the end of day four in the third Test after the third day was completely washed out.

Speaking in the press conference at the end of the day, Bhuvneshwar said that he did not try anything different. "I was coming back after one and a half years. I did not do anything different. I knew this particular wicket will be assisting the bowlers. Before the series, we had a camp in Bangalore and I was working hard on my fitness."

Bhuvneshwar's spell after lunch turned the match on its head. His spell of 11.4-6-16-5 after lunch rattled the West Indies, which allowed Ajinkya Rahane to score a fifty and extend India's advantage by the end of day four.

"My plan was to bowl close to the stumps and get the ball to move away. I was practising this on a regular basis in the nets. I felt positive after the lunch break and I knew that there was something in the wicket if we hit the right areas," the right-arm fast bowler said.

Since his injury on the tour to Australia, Bhuvneshwar has been steadily rising up the charts in the domestic circuit. During the 2016 Indian Premier League, he ended up with the Purple Cap as he finished with 23 wickets in 17 games to help Sunrisers Hyderabad win the tournament for the first time. It was his execution of yorkers at the death and his increase in pace which stood out.