Bahutule: Kuldeep, Varun remain in India plans despite T20I benching

India spin coach Sairaj Bahutule said on October 30, 2026 that Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy remain in the team's plans despite neither being guaranteed a place for the final T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton. India had already sealed the five-match series 3-1 after conceding 259 for seven in an 87-run defeat in the fourth T20I in Auckland.

Both spinners have travelled with the squad but have been left out as India persisted with their preferred bowling combination, Bahutule said at the post-match press conference. "They are well prepared to play. But the combination team, whatever they need, it's very important to understand that they might not get that opportunity. They are very much aware of it," he said. "At the same time, they keep working behind the doors. Whenever they are needed, in fact, they will be ready for it. I think it's a question of giving them the opportunity."

Bahutule acknowledged there could be scope to experiment in Hamilton now the series is decided and voiced hope the spinners could feature in the final T20I or in upcoming matches. "Hopefully, in the next game and the coming one-dayers, they will get the opportunity," he said. He also confirmed a selection difference for the 50-over squad: Kuldeep is part of India's ODI squad while Chakravarthy has not been selected for the 50-over series.

Explaining India's approach to spin, Bahutule said attack was encouraged but that defensive bowling can also be used tactically depending on match situations. "I think we encourage our bowlers to attack. Sometimes being defensive can also be an attacking role. You know what I mean? So, there are different situations which we need to handle. Axar is somebody who bowls in the powerplay and whichever over he's given, he executes it very well," Bahutule said. He added: "When you have Varun as well as Kuldeep in the wings, they too are ready to bowl at any stage. They play a different role in conditions like this. But there is a lot of clarity given to them in terms of what is expected from them."

Bahutule revealed Abhishek Sharma has been working on left-arm spin in the nets but insisted any match use would rest with the captain and the conditions. "Abhishek keeps practising. He is somebody who, in the nets, keeps working on his bowling. He always tries to contribute through his bowling. But it's all about the captain's instinct on the ground. He has to go according to that," he said. The coach added that Abhishek was prepared to contribute with the ball whenever required.

On the heavy defeat at Eden Park, Bahutule cited the ground's dimensions and short boundaries as factors that made bowling difficult and said India had not executed their plans. "Eden Park, obviously, it's a challenging ground in terms of dimensions. But I think we were very clear as to what we wanted to do. We were clear in terms of our strengths. And we wanted to execute our skills to whatever we could really work towards. But it didn't happen," he said.

Bahutule noted India had adapted well to different surfaces in the first three matches but said early wickets in the powerplay were a significant factor in the Auckland loss and that the batting collapse compounded the problems created by New Zealand's total. "We will go to the next venue and decide as to what combination would be ideal. They might get an opportunity, but let's see how it turns out at Hamilton," he said.

The final T20I will be played in Hamilton, with India to select its playing combination at the next venue; Bahutule indicated Kuldeep and Varun could be considered for that match depending on the team’s assessment.