Arshdeep is recovering from a blow to his bowling shoulder suffered during the fourth T20I.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel has confirmed that left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh remains in contention for the fifth T20I against the West Indies in Bengaluru, despite Bhuvneshwar Kumar being roped into the squad.
Arshdeep is recovering from a blow to his bowling shoulder suffered during the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday (October 14). Despite initial concern, the team management has not ruled him out of the series-deciding fixture.
Bhuvneshwar—who had already been named in the T20I setup for the upcoming tour of New Zealand following a highly successful IPL 2026 season—received a sudden recall on Friday (October 16). The BCCI corrected an initial release that implied he was an outright replacement, clarifying that the veteran seamer has been brought in strictly as injury cover.
“Arshdeep is recovering well after the blow he took on the shoulder. Yeah, so, I think he is definitely not ruled out for tomorrow; [he is] still available. But obviously they will make a call tomorrow at some stage," Morkel said in the pre-match press conference.
The five-T20I series is currently tied at 2-2, making the final match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium a decider.
While a decision on Arshdeep’s participation for the Bengaluru T20I will be taken prior to the game based on his recovery, it remains to be seen if Bhuvneshwar features in India’s XI for the series decider. His last appearance for the country was in November 2022.
Morkel said he was ‘very excited’ to see the return of Bhuvneshwar, specifically pointing out his experience and stellar performances in the IPL for RCB, where he reinvented himself and picked up 45 wickets across the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
“I am very excited to have him back in the mix. Obviously, he has done really well in the past. I think his experience will add a lot of value to a younger bowling attack. So, excited to have him," the bowling coach remarked.