At 36, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still going strong but he has revealed one thing he wishes he had done differently earlier in his career. The India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer believes that having a personal trainer and physiotherapist from the beginning could have made a major difference to his career.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar suffered a series of injuries between 2018 and 2020. One of the biggest setbacks came during India’s 2018 away series in England, when he was at the peak of his bowling powers but missed the tour because of a lower-back problem. His injury problems continued during and after the 2019 World Cup, eventually affecting his India career.
Looking back, Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels that better fitness support earlier could have helped him avoid missing some important years and series. He said he would love to go back in time and be fit enough to play those matches alongside the same teammates he shared the dressing room with during that period.
After working extensively on his fitness and injury issues, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has enjoyed an impressive run with RCB. He has helped the franchise win back-to-back titles over the last two years, leading to growing calls for his return to the Indian team despite being 36 years old.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar also opened up about another emotional subject — retirement. Asked whether he is worried about eventually calling time on his career, he admitted that watching Karn Sharma retire recently made him emotional. Bhuvneshwar Kumar revealed that while watching Karn Sharma play his final match, he started wondering about what his own retirement day might feel like.
He said that he would not necessarily describe it as fear but believes retirement will naturally be an emotional moment because cricket has been part of his life since childhood. Walking away from something he has done for his entire life will undoubtedly bring strong emotions. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar admitted that he does not yet know exactly what he will feel when that day finally arrives.
For now, the veteran pacer continues to focus on his cricket, while his journey serves as a reminder of how injuries can shape an athlete’s career and how much a player can achieve by working on the problems that once held him back.
