Team India has roped in senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a comeback ahead of initial plans, as they named him in the squad on the eve of the series-deciding fifth T20I against the West Indies on Friday.
Bhuvneshwar will replace left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, who sustained an injury during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad.
The 36-year-old is marking a comeback to the side for the first time in four years, since his last match against New Zealand in November 2022.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar was added to the squad after Arshdeep Singh sustained a blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I of the series against West Indies on Wednesday in Hyderabad. A decision on his participation for the final T20I will be taken prior to the game based on his recovery,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in a statement.
The veteran pacer was slated to make his comeback next week when India tour New Zealand for five T20Is, starting October 22. Bhuvneshwar has been the toast of the fast bowlers’ club across the previous two IPL editions, leading the wicket-taking charts with 45 scalps. He also remains the highest wicket-taker among all Indian pacers in the T20 format.
India and West Indies are locked level at 2-2 in the five-match series of a high-scoring series. While Shreyas Iyer’s men won the first and third T20Is in Lucknow and Indore, Shai Hope’s men clinched victories in Ranchi and Hyderabad on Wednesday. However, rain threat looms with a muggy forecast predicted for Bengaluru on Saturday.
India’s updated T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [WK], Sanju Samson [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.