India add Bhuvneshwar Kumar for West Indies T20 decider as Arshdeep Singh doubtful
Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to India's T20I squad for the series decider in Bengaluru while Arshdeep Singh recovers from a shoulder injury.
At a glance
- India added Bhuvneshwar Kumar to their squad for the fifth and deciding T20I against West Indies in Bengaluru on Saturday.
- Bhuvneshwar, 36, is cover for Arshdeep Singh, who injured his bowling shoulder in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad and retired hurt.
- West Indies levelled the series at 2-2, helped by two centuries from captain Shai Hope.
India have added fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar to their squad for Saturday's fifth and deciding Twenty20 International against West Indies in Bengaluru, after Arshdeep Singh was left doubtful by a shoulder problem.
Bhuvneshwar comes in as cover for Arshdeep, who is still recovering from the injury, India's cricket board said on Friday.
Arshdeep took a blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad and retired hurt. He was struck while batting as West Indies levelled the five-match series at 2-2. A decision on whether he can play in the series decider will be taken before the match.
Bhuvneshwar back after nearly four years
Bhuvneshwar, 36, returns to India's T20I set-up for the first time in almost four years. The seamer has also been named in India's squad for the T20 International series in New Zealand, which starts on October 22.
Series level after Hope centuries
India have twice led the series, but two centuries from West Indies captain Shai Hope have pulled the visitors level each time. The second match of the series also marked West Indies' record chase in a T20 International.
The preceding One-Day International series finished 2-1 in favour of the hosts, with Hope's century in the third match leading West Indies to a record run chase.
India squad
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Naman Dhir, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why has India called up Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the West Indies T20 decider?
- He has been added as cover for Arshdeep Singh, who is recovering from a shoulder injury and remains a doubt for the final match in Bengaluru.
- When did Bhuvneshwar Kumar last play a T20I for India?
- The 36-year-old returns to India's T20I set-up for the first time in nearly four years, and has also been named in the squad for the New Zealand T20I series.
- What is the state of the India vs West Indies T20 series?
- The five-match series is level at 2-2 going into the decider, with West Indies captain Shai Hope scoring centuries in the games that pulled his side level.
