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India’s veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is highly unlikely to make his T20I comeback on the New Zealand tour. As destiny willed it, Bhuvneshwar will play his comeback T20I at Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) homeground, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, the franchise he helped win two consecutive Indian Premier League (IPL) titles. The impressive performances in the RCB jersey landed him back in the T20I squad, a rare sight for an Indian pacer at the age of 36. The last-minute change took place due to an injury to left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. On the eve of the five-T20I series final, the Pragyan Ojha-led selection committee added Bhuvneshwar to the T20I squad.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also provided an update on Arshdeep, who was hit on his bowling shoulder by Shamar Joseph bounce in the final over of the innings in the fourth T20I played in Hyderabad on October 14. But Arshdeep has not been ruled out of the final T20I of the series.
“A decision on his (Arshdeep) participation for the final T20I will be taken prior to the game based on his recovery,” the BCCI said in a statement.
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India’s updated T20I squad for 5th T20I vs West Indies -
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.
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Bhuvneshwar’s T20I record vs West Indies
Bhuvneshwar has played 18 T20Is against West Indies and bagged 13 wickets at an average of 35.15. While he does not have enough wickets against the Caribbean side, his economy rate is an impressive 7.25 runs per over.
Bhuvneshwar’s T20 record at RCB’s home ground
Bhuvneshwar has an exceptional T20 record at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. From 24 games (including IPL, domestic T20s, and T20Is), the pacer has 31 wickets at an average of 22.93, with an economy rate just over eight runs per over.
Only leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (60 wickets from 48 T20s) and pacer Vinay Kumar (32 wickets from 28 T20s) have more scalps at the venue than Bhuvneshwar.
Typically, Bengaluru is a high-scoring ground. Considering the amount of runs being scored in the series already and dew playing a major role, it is expected to be a similar story in Bengaluru as well. After the defeat in Hyderabad, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson backed the inexperienced pace lineup and pointed out that “there is no replacement for Jasprit Bumrah”. With the arrival of Bumrah, India have added an experienced campaigner in the side who can provide breakthroughs with the new ball and the old.
When was the last time Bhuvneshwar played a T20I?
Bhuvneshwar's previous T20I appearance was against New Zealand in November 2022. The last time he played competitive T20 cricket was in the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans (GT). He took two wickets for 29 runs in his quota of four overs. Coincidentally, his previous T20I wicket was a West Indies all-rounder, Jason Holder.
Bhuvneshwar's T20I numbers
Bhuvneshwar has played 87 T20Is so far and claimed 90 wickets at an average of 23.10, laced with two fifers and two four-fers. His T20I economy rate is just under seven runs per over.
What Ashwin said on Bhuvneshwar's T20I comeback?
Former India spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin believes that Bhuvneshwar did not even think about making a comeback and focused on doing well for RCB.
"I have a feeling that Bhuvneshwar Kumar hasn't even thought about a comeback. I think this will be his mantra for success. And when I'm watching him from afar, I have also experienced this myself, he has gone on his own journey," Ashwin said.
"He has focused on doing well, bowling well with the new ball and performing for RCB. Whatever he could do, he did it. His recall is the reward for his success. He never chased that reward; he simply did his job and success followed," he added.
Ashwin has also backed Bumrah to make a comeback in the ODI squad as well, keeping in mind the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa.
"India has the ability. If Jasprit Bumrah is firing on all cylinders, he will have a good fast-bowling experience. India has a good spin stock. There, in a lot of grounds, you will get the help of spin. There is experience in batting," he said.
Bhuvneshwar hasn't played an ODI since January 2022. He hasn't played List A cricket since December 2023. For the past few years, he has focused solely on T20 cricket.
Will rain play spoilsport in IND vs WI 5th T20I?
The conditions in Bengaluru will be humid in the evening on October 17. Rain may play spoilsport in the game. However, the drainage system at the venue is top-notch. Unless the rain is relentless, the T20I is unlikely to be washed out. There is a possibility of a few overs being reduced in the game.
West Indies and Hope eye history in Bengaluru
West Indies will be looking to register their first-ever T20I series win on Indian soil. If India lose, this will be their first T20I series defeat at home since the T20 World Cup 2026 triumph.
West Indies captain Shai Hope will also look to break the record for most runs in a five-T20I series. Hope has 261 runs from four innings at a strike rate of 190.51, including two centuries. He needs 71 runs to break England opener Phil Salt's record. IN 2023, Salt scored 331 runs in the five-T20I series against West Indies, which included two tons as well.
West Indies’ squad for T20I series vs India -
Shai Hope (w/c), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Keemo Paul, Shamar Springer, Roston Chase, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde.
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