Chinnaswamy erupts in cheers as Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to India’s T20I XI after four years

Bengaluru: The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium erupted in cheers as Bhuvneshwar Kumar was announced in India’s playing XI for the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies, marking his return to the Indian T20I side after nearly four years.

The announcement was made by Shreyas Iyer during the toss, drawing a loud response from the Bengaluru crowd, which welcomed the return of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player in Indian colours.

Bhuvneshwar was added to the squad earlier this week after Arshdeep Singh sustained an injury and was doubtful for the match.

The series is level at 2-2, leaving both teams with everything to play for in the decider. However, rain interrupted proceedings, forcing the match to be reduced to nine overs per side, with a powerplay of 2.4 overs.

Bhuvneshwar’s comeback added an emotional moment to the rain-shortened contest, as the Chinnaswamy crowd celebrated seeing the experienced pacer back in India’s T20I jersey.