Omission of Kuldeep Yadav criticised after India lose fourth T20I in Hyderabad
India's decision to leave wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI was criticised after India suffered a 24-run defeat to the West Indies in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad on October 14, 2026, with former India pacer Varun Aaron raising concerns. Aaron, who is the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, told JioHotstar that Kuldeep should have played on the Hyderabad wicket.
India persisted with an unchanged XI for the match as the hosts' bowling unit struggled to contain the West Indies, who posted 247 for three before India were restricted to 223 for nine. The match was played on a relaid surface that offered assistance to bowlers and produced deliveries that occasionally held up in both innings, and the lack of dew was noted as potentially favouring a wrist-spinner. Aaron argued those conditions strengthened the case for an additional specialist spinner. The defeat exposed weaknesses in India’s bowling plans and their batting awareness, according to Aaron.
India went into the game with Axar Patel and Naman Dhir as their only spin options; Axar returned figures of 1/45 and dismissed West Indies opener Jewel Andrew in the powerplay, while Naman conceded 19 runs in a short spell. Neither spinner was able to apply sustained pressure on the visitors during the contest. The limited spin resources in the XI contrasted with the West Indies’ use of two effective spinners in the match.
Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase played prominent roles for the West Indies, with Chase noted for keeping Abhishek Sharma quiet across the series and Motie influential during a key phase of India’s chase. In Hyderabad, Sanju Samson assumed much of the powerplay responsibility, which Aaron said reduced Abhishek Sharma’s opportunities to assert himself. Motie dismissed Abhishek and Naman off consecutive deliveries in the same over, a breakthrough that shifted momentum toward the visitors. “We saw how Motie bowled, varying his pace, and even Roston Chase bowled really well today, apart from that one over. On a wicket like this, with these boundary dimensions, Kuldeep would have been India's point of difference,” he said.
India’s pace attack also struggled for control, with Mayank Yadav and Arshdeep Singh each conceding 52 runs in the match. Most of the Indian bowlers failed to consistently hit the right lengths or create enough uncertainty for the West Indies batters, contributing to the heavy scoring by the visitors. Aaron summarised his view on team selection and execution: “Ultimately, poor bowling plans and a lack of batting awareness cost India the game again. India should have played an extra spinner. Kuldeep should have played on this wicket,” Aaron said on JioHotstar.
The result leaves the five-match series level at 2-2, and the teams will meet in Bengaluru on Saturday, where India's bowling strategy and team selection are likely to attract renewed attention.