Injury Concern for India: Arshdeep Singh Doubtful for Series Finale, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Called Up

The Injury: Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh sustained a heavy blow to his bowling shoulder during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad. He was struck by a short delivery from West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph in the final over, forcing him to leave the field in visible discomfort and retire hurt.

Squad Adjustment: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Men's Selection Committee officially added veteran right-arm swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the squad as cover ahead of the series finale in Bengaluru. Participation Status: While Arshdeep remains under evaluation, a final call on his fitness and availability for the fifth T20I will be made right before the match based on his recovery progress.

Milestone Call-Up: Bhuvneshwar's inclusion accelerates his return to the national setup following strong domestic form, putting him in line for his first international appearance since late 2022.

Arshdeep has featured in each of the four T20Is against West Indies, picking five wickets. Apart from Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep, Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav are the only other frontline fast-bowling options in the squad, with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube as seam-bowling allrounders.

India's squad for fifth T20I vs West Indies

Shreyas Iyer (capt), 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, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.