Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar back in squad for West Indies series

[Ulquiorra]

 

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav and pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami have been recalled for the upcoming three-match T20I series against West Indies, starting December 6. Ravindra Jadeja, after missing the series against Bangladesh, also returns to the 15-man squad announced on Thursday (November 21).

T20I Squad:Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar
After being rested for the Bangladesh series at home, Virat Kohli returns to lead the side. Rahul Chahar and Sanju Samson, who were both a part of India's squad for the series against Bangladesh but did not get a game, have been left out. Pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur make way for Bhuvneshwar and Shami, who last played a T20I for India in 2017, while Jadeja returns as a like-for-like replacement for fellow left-arm spin allrounder Krunal Pandya.

For Bhuvneshwar it's a comeback of sorts after his tryst with back and hamstring injuries in the recent past. The 29-year-old seamer picked up a lower back injury ahead of India's Test series in England in 2018. He returned for the Asia Cup that year, and was subsequently named in the 2019 World Cup squad. At the mega event though, the pace bowler picked up a hamstring injury in the game against Pakistan. Though he did go to West Indies with the team after the World Cup, Bhuvneshwar remained unavailable for India's 2019 home season thus far, that started with the series against South Africa, even as BCCI did not give an official reason for his non-selection.

Meanwhile, aside from retaining his spot in the T20Is, Shivam Dube has also earned his maiden call-up to the ODI squad for the three-match series against West Indies. Deepak Chahar, who made his ODI debut in the 2018 Asia Cup against Afghanistan, has earned a recall as well. Khaleel and Navdeep Saini have been left out in lieu from India's last ODI assignment, also against West Indies.

MS Dhoni, who hasn't featured in any of India's limited-overs series since their 2019 World Cup semifinal exit, remains absent as uncertainty lingers about his future with the team.

West Indies, who recently lost the T20I series to Afghanistan in Lucknow by 1-2 margin, are due to play three T20Is beginning December 6 and as many ODIs from December 15.

ODI Squad:Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (WK), Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar