Kuldeep Yadav was excluded from India's playing XI for the fourth T20I against West Indies at Hyderabad on October 14, 2026, marking his second consecutive absence from the five-match series. The left-arm wrist-spinner had delivered strong performances in the opening matches, taking 2 wickets for 33 runs in the first T20I at Lucknow and 1 wicket for 53 runs in the second T20I at Ranchi before being dropped for the third match at Indore on October 11.

India's captain Shreyas Iyer explained the exclusion by citing the need for a yorker-bowling option and the small, batting-friendly ground conditions at Holkar Stadium, with pacer Prince Yadav brought into the XI in Kuldeep's place.

Kuldeep's form in the preceding ODI series had been exceptional, with the spinner taking 7 wickets as India won the three-match ODI series 2-1 against West Indies. Despite this strong showing, the selection committee opted to leave him out of the playing XI for consecutive T20I matches. The decision drew scrutiny from former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who questioned the logic behind dropping a bowler who had proven effective against the West Indies batters.

"It is very surprising because, on a ground where you expect to get some bounce, I know it has not always been a happy hunting ground for spinners, but the West Indies batters are struggling to pick his googly and leg-spin. So, if you are leaving Kuldeep out against them, it lacks a bit of common sense. It is very surprising because I think his presence could have made a difference of 15-20 runs," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Why Ashwin questioned Kuldeep's Hyderabad exclusion

Ashwin acknowledged that the decision to exclude Kuldeep from the Indore match held merit given the ground dimensions and playing conditions. However, he expressed concern about the narrative being constructed around the exclusion and its connection to India's loss in Ranchi. The former spinner believed that attributing India's defeat to Kuldeep's absence was fundamentally flawed reasoning.

Ashwin's nuanced view on the Indore and Ranchi decisions

"I was surprised. Kuldeep was not picked in Indore, and I would still endorse that decision because I can understand that the ground is small. But you are almost making an issue out of it by suggesting that India’s loss in Ranchi was because of Kuldeep. That, in itself, is wrong," Ashwin said.

The series remained tied 2-2 entering the final T20I in Bengaluru. West Indies had scored 247 for 20 in the fourth match at Hyderabad, with India losing by 24 runs. The outcome left the series evenly poised with one match remaining to determine the winner.