India and West Indies lock horns in the fifth and final T20I at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on October 17, 2026, with the five-match series poised at 2-2. Following India’s 24-run defeat in the fourth fixture in Hyderabad, West Indies enter the decider with a psychological edge.
Shreyas Iyer captains India, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain. While India claimed the preceding three-match ODI series 2-1, the T20I leg has proven significantly more competitive. With the series finely balanced, here are three adjustments the side should consider for the decider.
1. Bring Kuldeep Yadav back into the playing XI
Kuldeep Yadav featured in the first two T20Is of the series but was omitted from the playing XI for the third and fourth matches. The left-arm wrist-spinner was the leading wicket-taker during the ODI leg of the tour, claiming seven wickets across three fixtures. His previous T20I outing came on February 15, 2026, against Pakistan, and he has accumulated 54 T20I appearances to date. Given Bengaluru’s historical tendency to assist wrist spinners, his reintegration could provide India with a strategic advantage in the series decider.