India vs West Indies 5th T20I: Bhuvneshwar Kumar called up as Arshdeep doubtful for Bengaluru decider

The Ind vs WI T20I series comes down to one game. India and West Indies meet in the fifth and final T20I at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday 17 October at 6:30pm Pakistan time, with the series level at 2-2, and India have had to call for a fast bowler the day before.

India's interim selection committee, chaired by Pragyan Ojha, has added Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the squad as cover for Arshdeep Singh, who is doubtful with a shoulder injury, ESPNcricinfo reported on Friday.

How Arshdeep got hurt

Arshdeep was struck by a Shamar Joseph delivery while batting near the end of India's chase in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on Wednesday. It turned out to be the last ball of the match and he retired hurt. The BCCI said a decision on whether he plays will be taken before the game, depending on how he recovers.

He has played all four matches of the series and taken five wickets. His injury matters beyond Saturday: Arshdeep is in the T20I squad that leaves for New Zealand on Sunday.

Bhuvneshwar's first India squad since 2022

Bhuvneshwar last played for India in November 2022. He had already been recalled last week for the New Zealand T20Is on the strength of his IPL 2026 season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he took 28 wickets in 16 matches and finished second on the wicket chart behind Kagiso Rabada. He completed a fitness assessment at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru last week, so he is already in the city.

Apart from Arshdeep and Bhuvneshwar, India's only frontline quicks are Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube as seam-bowling allrounders.

How the series got to 2-2

West Indies have scored heavily all series. In the fourth T20I they made 247 for 3, with Shai Hope hitting 102 off 50 balls, and bowled India out for 223 in 19.3 overs, Keemo Paul taking 5 for 41. That 24-run win levelled the series. Our match reports from the series are here: 4th T20I report and 2nd T20I report.

ESPNcricinfo's preview says rain is around in Bengaluru, so a shortened game is possible.

India squad for the 5th T20I

Shreyas Iyer (captain), 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.

Match time in Pakistan

• Date: Saturday 17 October 2026
• Start: 6:30pm PKT (7pm in India)
• Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Pakistan's own international season starts the next day: the ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and England opens in Rawalpindi on Sunday 18 October. Fixtures and timings are on our Pakistan tri-series schedule page.