Bhuvneshwar Kumar Returns to India XI for West Indies T20I

Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to India’s playing XI for the fifth T20I against West Indies in Bengaluru on October 17, ending his absence from the national team since November 2022. India captain Shreyas Iyer announced the selection at the toss for a rain-shortened match scheduled for nine overs per side. Bhuvneshwar last played for India in a T20I against New Zealand in Napier on November 22, 2022. He had not appeared for the national side in any format since then. Reports described the gap as nearly four years, though they gave different totals for the elapsed days and India matches missed. Those figures are not needed to establish the return. Bhuvneshwar was not initially part of India’s squad for the West Indies series. Reports said he was added as cover after left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh sustained an impact injury to his shoulder while batting in the fourth match. Accounts differed on Arshdeep’s status for the fifth T20I: some said he was ruled out, while others listed him in India’s XI alongside Bhuvneshwar. The available reports do not resolve that discrepancy. The fifth match was the series decider, with the five-match contest level at 2-2, according to one report. Rain...