NEW DELHI, OCT 7: Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made a return to the Indian national team after nearly four years, earning a place in the squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand later this month.
The 36-year-old seamer from Meerut last represented India in 2022. His recall comes after an impressive IPL season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he played a key role in the team’s back-to-back title triumphs and claimed 17 wickets in the last edition.
Bhuvneshwar was particularly effective with the new ball, troubling batters with his ability to generate swing and seam movement during the powerplay overs.
His return comes at a time when India will be without premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the series. The experienced seamer is also expected to provide guidance to younger fast bowlers such as Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, who are being viewed as potential contenders for the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia.
Bhuvneshwar has represented India in 21 Tests, 121 ODIs and 87 T20Is. He has taken 90 wickets in T20 internationals.
The squad was announced by the BCCI following the departure of former chief selector Ajit Agarkar, with Pragyan Ojha taking charge as interim chairman of the selection committee.
Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has also returned to the T20I squad after missing the Asian Games due to injury.
India will play five T20Is against New Zealand between October 22 and November 1. The series will begin in Christchurch on October 22, followed by the second match at the same venue.
The third T20I will be played in Wellington on October 27, while the fourth and fifth matches are scheduled for Auckland on October 30 and Hamilton on November 1.
Following the T20I series, India will also play a five-match ODI series and a two-Test series against New Zealand.
India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
