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India buoyed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning to T20I squad

India bowling head coach Morne Morkel has expressed enthusiasm over the return of seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the T20I setup after almost four years.

Announced as part of the squad for the New Zealand tour, Bhuvneshwar was added to India's squad for the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies, after Arshdeep Singh sustained an injury blow.

However, Morkel confirmed that Arshdeep hasn't been ruled out for the series decider, and that the hosts will take a call on the final selection on Saturday ahead of the fixture in Bengaluru.

“All the guys are available," Morkel told reporters on the eve of the fifth T20I.

"(Arshdeep) is recovering well after the blow he took on the shoulder, so I think he is definitely not ruled out for tomorrow, still available. But obviously, [the management] will make a call tomorrow at some stage."

The bowling coach also acknowledged the immense value Bhuvneshwar Kumar brings to the squad. 

“Really excited to have him (Bhuvneshwar) back in the mix. He's done exceptionally well for RCB in the past, and I think his experience will add a lot of value to a relatively young bowling attack.

"So, it's great to have him back, and I'm really looking forward to it.”

India and the West Indies are squared at 2-2 in the five-match T20I series, with the four matches having witnessed high-scoring contests.

Weighing in on his role in keeping spirits high within a young Indian bowling group, Morkel said, "You also want to take the learnings. So, we had a very nice sort of sit-down discussion this morning with some of the bowlers just to identify certain areas and what we can expect here.

"For me, it is just how we can get a younger sort of bowling attack to make smarter decisions under pressure," he added.

The T20I series decider will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The Windies will arrive into the fixture on the back of a series-levelling win in Hyderabad.

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