![Bhuvneshwar Kumar [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1792254163678_Bhuvneshwar_Kumar.jpg?type=hq)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar [Source: AFP]
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his return to the Indian playing XI for the fifth T20I of their home series against West Indies. The legendary fast bowler was named in the XI as a replacement of struggling paceman Mayank Yadav.
It is worth noting that the occasion marked Kumar’s return to India’s T20I XI after a gap of nearly four years. The cricketer played the last of his prior 87 T20Is for Team India way back in November 2022 during India’s tour of New Zealand.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar sets unique T20I record
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named in Team India squad for the fifth T20I of the series against the West Indies earlier this week. Also named in India squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, the senior fast bowler was named in the national playing XI for the series-decider against West Indies at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 17.
The occasion marked Kumar’s first T20I appearance for India after a gap of 1,425 days, i.e., nearly four years. During that period, the ageing warhorse missed as many as 104 T20I matches for Team India, thus levelling up with Khaleel Ahmed as the only other Indian cricketer to miss over 100 matches between his two T20I appearances.
Here is a look at five Indian cricketers who have missed the highest number of T20I matches for the country between any two appearances.
Most Consecutive Matches Missed for India Between Appearances in T20Is:
- 104 - Khaleel Ahmed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar*
- 86 - Varun Chakaravarthy
- 73 - Sanju Samson
- 70 - Shivam Dube
Notably, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also ranked joint-third among players with most missed T20I matches among players from member nations. Overall, he is ranked fifth on the list and is only tied with fellow Indian quick Khaleel Ahmed. Here is a look at all T20I players with most matches missed between any two appearances.
Most Consecutive Matches Missed for a Team Between Appearances in T20Is:
- 126 - Graeme Cremer (Zimbabwe)
- 116 - Mohammed Sameer (Bahrain)
- 110 - Khary Pierre (West Indies)
- 109 - David Uwimana (Rwanda)
- 104 - Khaleel Ahmed (India), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)*
Interestingly, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is also the stadium where Bhuvneshwar made his T20I debut way back in December 2012 against Pakistan. Nearly 14 years later, the venue also witnessed his long-awaited second coming in India colours.
Why did BCCI bring Bhuvneshwar Kumar back into India squad?
The BCCI selection committee recently underwent a soft reboot following the resignation of chief selector Ajit Agarkar. The new committee, chaired by Pragyan Ojha, decided to resurrect Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s T20I profile during the twilight of his career by naming him in India’s T20I squad for the tour of New Zealand.
Also included in the series-decider against the West Indies, the speedster may have earned the selector’s favour owing to his impressive bowling spectacles in the last two IPL seasons for the triumphant RCB franchise.
Moreover, in this year’s high-scoring IPL 2026 season, the legendary fast bowler picked up 28 wickets in just 16 innings at an impressive bowling average of 17.89.
