Michael Clarke, the former Australia cricketer, has questioned India's decision to leave spinner Kuldeep Yadav out of the last two T20 internationals against West Indies, stating that the bowler deserves a guaranteed place in the side's spin-bowling lineup.

West Indies, led by Shai Hope, posted 247 for 3 in the fourth T20I — a total that left India chasing throughout the contest rather than setting the pace. After returning figures of 2/33 in the tournament's opening T20I fixture, Kuldeep was moved out of the playing XI following a return of 1/53 at Ranchi — a venue where the opposition successfully chased down a target of 250 runs.

Naman Dhir took on the second spin-bowling role alongside Axar Patel, with India's team composition leaning towards a greater number of pace bowlers.

On his Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Clarke described Kuldeep Yadav as a bowler who takes wickets and raised the question of why teams do not prioritise dismissing opposition batters, adding that he had expressed his view on Kuldeep on multiple previous occasions. Clarke noted that no clear rationale had been offered for why Kuldeep does not feature as the lead spinner in the team's bowling order. He also noted that the prevailing mindset appeared to be one of letting the opposition post whatever total they managed, then pursuing it, rather than putting in the effort to dismiss them.

Appearing on the podcast, former India Under-19 cricketer Shreevats Goswami put forward the view that Kuldeep's place in the side should not be sacrificed for an additional batter, arguing that his absence would leave the team without a reliable means of taking wickets through the middle overs. Goswami called on the team's management to include Kuldeep Yadav in the playing eleven for the Bengaluru decider, with his quoted appeal stating that the spinner needed to be in the side for that fixture.

Clarke noted that Kuldeep had taken two wickets across the opening T20I of the series, a contribution that carried measurable weight for his side. Clarke also argued that the case for dropping Kuldeep from the lineup — whether to accommodate an extra batter or bring in Naman Dhir, who contributes both off-spin bowling and batting — remained difficult to make, even after Kuldeep conceded heavily in the second match. Goswami similarly expressed the view that Kuldeep's participation was necessary, stating that leaving him out would strip the team of its capacity to take wickets during the middle overs.

Across four outings in the series, Naman claimed five wickets at an average of 22.80 in his role as the side's spinner. Across five white-ball outings against West Indies in the ongoing series, Kuldeep has taken 10 wickets in total, with seven of those coming from three ODI appearances — a haul that included a four-wicket return in one of those games.

Across 56 T20 international appearances, Kuldeep's tally of 98 dismissals has come at a bowling average of 14.20 and a run-rate of 7.10 per over, a haul that encompasses three instances of four wickets in an innings and two of five, with his career-best return standing at 5/17. Across six T20I appearances so far this calendar year, he has taken eight wickets, with his bowling average sitting at 25.75, an economy rate of 9.36, and a best return of 2/33.

Clarke also noted that data on captains across T20 and ODI formats points to a broad tendency toward conventional tactical decision-making. Regardless of the format in play, he argued, Kuldeep's ability to take wickets makes him an asset whenever a team sets out to dismiss the opposition.