Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns in Indian colours: Here's how players responded to T20I comebacks in the past

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made a remarkable comeback into the Indian team. The 36-year-old pacer was an unexpected name when the BCCI announced the squad for the five-match T20I series in New Zealand.

The pacer features in the national team after four years, marking one of the longest exiles from the shortest format for an Indian. In a co-incidence, Kumar last played an international match in New Zealand in 2022 and will be returning to the country, which supports his swing bowling, upon his return.

The comeback is similar to that of left-arm fast-bowler Ashish Nehra, who was included in the national team ahead of the 2016 T20 World Cup after having last played in 2011 at a similar age of 36 years.

Though there have been players who were away from the national team in terms of years, Kumar will be missing at least 110 T20Is, making it the longest gap between two T20I matches.

The Uttar Pradesh-based fast bowler would overtake Khaleel Ahmed, who missed 104 matches between two appearances.

Here's a look at how others fared after making a remarkable comeback into the Indian T20I squad after a long gap.

Khaleel Ahmed: 104 T20Is missed

Ahmed made his debut against the West Indies in 2018. However, the left-arm pacer had lost his place in 2019 after a match against Bangladesh. However, after leading the CSK bowling in the 2024 IPL season, pacer made a comeback on July 6, 2024 against Zimbabwe.

The stint was short-lived as he did not feature again for India after playing a T20I against Sri Lanka on July 30.

Varun Chakravarthy: 86 T20Is missed

Varun Chakravarthy made his T20I debut in 2021 following his incredible IPL exploits and went on to play the World Cup a couple of months later. However, with not much effectiveness and India's early exit, the mystery spinner was dropped until he came back in October 2024.

He made his second life count, having led India's spin attack in the 2026 World Cup and reaching world No.1 in T20 bowlers rankings. He still remains one of India's key players.

Sanju Samson: 73 T20Is missed

The wicket-keeper batter made his debut for India in the shortest format at a young age of 20 years in 2015, but failed to hold on to his spot after just a solitary match. With repeated IPL and domestic performances, the talented cricketer made a comeback to the team in January 2020.

His place was not a certainty, even after having hammered three T20I centuries since. However, he etched his name in the history books when he became the Player of the Tournament in the 2026 T20 World Cup that India went on to win.

Shivam Dube: 70 T20Is missed

Dube first featured for India in November 2019 in a T20I, but lost his place three months later. However, after a winning the IPL title with CSK in 2023, he got back into the team and has consolidated his place.

He has played crucial cameos in both 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cup finals, while also having played important roles in Asia Cup and Asian Games triumphs.

Umesh Yadav: 65 T20Is

Umesh Yadav made his T20I debut in 2012, but had to wait till 2018 for another opportunity. The pacer six matches upon returning but lost his place again before being callup up in 2022, when he played two matches before fading away.