'Is this the end of his career?' - Aakash Chopra on Bhuvneshwar Kumar's non-selection for Ireland & England T20Is

Aakash Chopra feels that the selectors may have stopped looking at Bhuvneshwar Kumar as someone who can play for India once again.

Despite performing superbly during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker, Bhuvneshwar couldn't find a place in India's T20I squad for the series against Ireland in June and England next month. Even when Mohammed Siraj was given rest, the selectors picked Prasidh Krishna as his replacement and not the Royal Challengers Bengaluru speedster.

"Bhuvneshwar Kumar's non-selection. Is this the end of his career? In fact, Prasidh Krishna has been picked in place of Mohammed Siraj because they are trying to do a little workload management. There was an opportunity earlier as well, when they were selecting, and now also, as you had to replace someone, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not that guy," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

The former India opener believes that Bhuvneshwar could have done well in the United Kingdom, where the conditions are in favour of the seamers.

"Never say never is what we all say, but if you are not selecting him even now, when you have rested Siraj, and this was a chance in Ireland and England, where the ball moves a little more and there is help for fast bowlers, perhaps the right time to give one more opportunity to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but if he hasn't got a chance here, the road ahead is closed," he observed.

Chopra said that Bhuvneshwar not getting recalled is heartbreaking, mentioning that he himself wanted the veteran seamer to be picked.

"It may sound very harsh. It may sound heartbreaking because I only had said that he should be played, that he is absolutely ready, and you make so many changes due to workload management, and that we have fast bowlers, but not so many that you can't play Bhuvi one or two series. I was not talking about the World Cup. We don't know what would happen in 2028," he said.

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Chopra opined that the selectors could have fixed their minds on backing youngsters from now on after dropping Suryakumar Yadav and ignoring Mohammed Shami time and again.

"However, the Indian selectors have said they are only looking towards the future, that they won't take two steps back, and then move forward. Suryakumar Yadav is not part of that list, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's non-selection, just like Mohammad Shami's non-selections thus far, implies Bhuvi is in the same list," Chopra observed.