Bhuvneshwar Kumar Added to India Squad for 5th T20I Against West Indies

BENGALURU: Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been added to India's squad for the fifth T20I against West Indies, with the selectors awaiting an update on Arshdeep Singh's fitness before the series concludes. The experienced pacer has been brought in as cover after Arshdeep sustained a shoulder injury during the fourth match in Hyderabad.

The decision gives India another specialist fast bowler to call upon for the final fixture. The interim selection committee, headed by Pragyan Ojha, approved the addition, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Arshdeep's participation would depend on his recovery.

Arshdeep was injured while batting against a delivery from West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph. He retired hurt after being struck on the biceps on the final ball of the match. The left-arm pacer has taken five wickets in the series so far.

Bhuvneshwar Builds up for New Zealand Tour

The squad change also provides Bhuvneshwar with an opportunity to regain match readiness ahead of India's T20I tour of New Zealand. He recently completed a fitness assessment at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and has stepped up his bowling workload.

Bhuvneshwar last played international cricket for India in November 2022. His recall to the T20I squad for the New Zealand series was announced last week, following his appearance in the UPT20 League in September.

His recent IPL form has strengthened his case for a return. Playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the right-arm seamer claimed 28 wickets in 16 matches during IPL 2026, finishing behind Kagiso Rabada in the competition's wicket-taking standings. RCB won the IPL title in consecutive campaigns during this period.

India Face Pace-Bowling Concerns

Arshdeep's fitness is particularly important given India's limited specialist pace resources. Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav are the other frontline fast bowlers in the squad, while all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube provide additional seam options.

India are due to depart for New Zealand on Sunday. The management is also monitoring Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana ahead of the ODI assignments, while early releases from the ODI squad remain a possibility to give selected players time to prepare for the two-Test series.

Updated India squad for 5th T20I against West Indies

Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.