Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been drafted into the Indian squad for the decisive fifth Twenty20 International against the West Indies. The 36-year-old seamer returns to the T20I setup for the first time in nearly four years, providing essential cover as the team evaluates the fitness of Arshdeep Singh.
Arshdeep’s participation in Saturday’s series finale in Bengaluru remains uncertain after he sustained a blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. The bowler was forced to retire hurt while batting during that contest, which resulted in a defeat that allowed the West Indies to level the five-match series at 2-2. Officials indicated that a final decision regarding his availability will be made just before the start of the match. According to the fast bowler comes in as cover for Arshdeep Singh, who continues his recovery from a shoulder injury, the country’s cricket board, On Friday.
The current tour has been marked by a tight contest, with India taking the lead twice only for West Indies captain Shai Hope to respond with a pair of centuries to equalize. While India secured a 2-1 victory in the preceding One-Day International series, the T20 leg has seen high-scoring encounters, including a record-breaking run chase by the visitors during the second match. Although Hope’s century in the third match led West Indies to a record run chase, the hosts claim a 2-1 series win in the One-Day Internationals that preceded the T20s.
Following this series, Bhuvneshwar is set to remain in the international picture, having been named in the squad for the upcoming T20 International tour of New Zealand, which commences on October 22. The extended Indian squad includes Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, and Naman Dhir.
