Kolkata, Oct. 20 -- After 1,425 days, nearly four years, Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to international cricket in India's fifth T20I against West Indies on Saturday. India had played 106 T20Is in the intervening period, making it the longest gap between appearances in the format for an Indian player.

There was a fitting touch to his comeback, too. Bhuvneshwar was back in India colours at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the venue where his fortunes had turned around in IPL. Since joining Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2025, he has been part of a franchise that won back-to-back titles.

But rain delayed his return to bowling. After just 7.4 overs of play, with India put in to bat, the match was abandoned without a result.

The focus now shifts to...