Bhuvneshwar added to India T20I squad as cover for injured Arshdeep

Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was on Friday added to India's squad for the series-deciding fifth and final T20I against the West Indies as cover for Arshdeep Singh, who has sustained a shoulder injury.

The final match of the series, which is currently locked at 2-2, will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.

"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," the BCCI said in a release.

The 36-year-old Bhuvneshwar was earlier picked for the T20 series against New Zealand, starting October 22 in Christchurch.

"A decision on his (Arshdeep) participation in the final T20I will be taken prior to the game based on his recovery," it added.

But it is tough to see the left-arm pacer playing here as shoulder injury generally takes a minimum of three weeks to settle down.

India's bowling coach Morne Morkel said a final call on Arshdeep will be taken on the match day.

"Arshdeep is recovering well after the blow he took on the shoulder. Yeah, so, I think he is definitely not ruled out for tomorrow, still available. But obviously they will make a call tomorrow at some stage," Morkel said in the pre-match press conference.

Hence, the stage has now been set for Bhuvneshwar's T20I comeback after four years, as the Uttar Pradesh pacer is almost certain to play the final match against the West Indies here.

His previous appearance in a T20I was against New Zealand at Napier on November 22, 2022.

It is quite apt that Bhuvneshwar's comeback will take place at the same venue where he made his debut in 2012 against Pakistan.

On that occasion, the pacer walked away with splendid figures of 4-0-9-3 and his first wicket was Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed.

Morkel was excited to see the return of a seasoned player like Bhuvneshwar.

"I am very excited to have him back in the mix. Obviously, he has done really well in the past. I think his experience will add a lot of value to a younger bowling attack. So, excited to have him," he added.

After an extended time away from the team, Bhuvneshwar later reinvented himself as a T20I bowler during the 2025 and 2026 editions of the IPL.

He bagged 45 wickets across 30 matches for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in that period.

RCB assistant coach Omkar Salvi underlined the growth of Bhuvneshwar as a crafty operator in the shortest format.

"One of his biggest strengths is the clarity he has about his game. He knows what works for him and keeps things simple.

"He has continued to adapt to the demands of T20 cricket, whether it's creating chances with the new ball or using his variations in the later stages of an innings," Salvi had told PTI.

Bhuvneshwar's skill with the new ball and the familiarity with the Chinnaswamy Stadium will be useful for India in stopping the marauding West Indian captain Shai Hope.

Hope is the leading run-getter in this series with 261 runs from four matches, including two hundreds.

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.