Bhuvneshwar Kumar will return from the international abyss to feature in India's upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
Bhuvneshwar has not featured for his country since November 2022 following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, a tournament where India crashed out to England in the semi-finals.
Since then, Bhuvneshwar has orchestrated several eye-catching seasons in franchise cricket.
The right-arm seamer claimed 17 wickets as Royal Challengers Bengaluru claimed their maiden Indian Premier League title in 2025, and Bhuvneshwar narrowly missed out on a third IPL Purple Cap to Kagiso Radaba with 28 wickets this year as RCB successfully defend their crown.
Despite a plethora of promising pace bowlers coming through the ranks, the veteran has been handed an opportunity to revive his international white-ball career and India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak believes his experience is the key reason why he's been selected for the upcoming five-match 20-over series against New Zealand.
Kotak explained: “In England, I personally felt that with Jasprit Bumrah not being around and a lot of young bowlers playing, you can’t beat experience.
"The young bowlers are good; they are performing well and getting selected, but at some stage you also need some experience.
“Another thing is that Bhuvneshwar has been doing really well in the IPL for the last two seasons. So the selectors must have thought that, for New Zealand conditions and all, obviously he has been doing well and we need some experience.”
Many considered Bhuvneshwar's international career to be over as he endured a spate of poor form upon returning from injury and selectors decided to look to the future.
The player himself admitted he was "at peace" with his omission, and his return marks quite a sensational comeback.
He's not the only veteran to return to the white-ball team with spinner Varun Chakaravarthy taking the place of Ravi Bishnoi, despite a year which has been beset by injuries.
Jasprit Bumrah does not feature in the T20I side as India selectors aim to manage his workload with one eye on the Test series at the end of the tour.
