At Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, India fielded a playing XI that immediately drew scrutiny from former spinner Murali Kartik. The side for the first ODI in the five-match series featured Axar Patel and Naman Dhir as the spin-bowling combination, while several notable players remained absent from the match. Kuldeep Yadav had been warming the bench throughout the tour, including the preceding five-match T20I series. Mohammed Siraj's removal from the XI also caught Kartik's attention.
Kartik, who represented India and played for Kolkata Knight Riders, expressed his bewilderment at the selection logic. He questioned why certain bowlers remained in the XI despite recent poor performances, while established players were left out. The former spinner's concerns centred on the absence of three key players and the retention of others whose recent form raised questions.
Siraj's exclusion particularly troubled Kartik, who questioned what the pacer had done to warrant removal from the XI. The former India bowler had been a regular in the squad, and his sudden absence raised questions about the clarity of the selection strategy. Kartik also highlighted the peculiar situation surrounding Nitish Kumar Reddy, noting that if the team was attempting to develop him as an all-rounder, his absence from the playing XI contradicted that stated objective.
"Literally belies logic for me. I'm trying to figure out what, because what is it? Gurnoor has gone for 96 or 97 runs twice now," Kartik said on Cricbuzz.
"Aaqib Nabi did really well in Ranji Trophy cricket, and why are you getting rid of Mohammed Siraj from the playing XI? What wrong has he done? You are trying to groom Nitish Kumar Reddy as the next all-rounder, and you have picked him for only this game, but he is not there," he added.
How does Kuldeep Yadav's exclusion affect his mental state?
Kuldeep Yadav's continued exclusion from the playing XI formed the centrepiece of Kartik's criticism. The left-arm wrist-spinner had featured in all three squad selections for the tour, yet remained on the sidelines for the opening ODI. Kartik questioned whether the boundary dimensions at Eden Park, which are not comparable to Australian grounds like Melbourne or Adelaide, should have influenced the selection decision.
"Kuldeep Yadav, what does it have to do with the size of the boundary? New Zealand is not Melbourne or Adelaide. He is the common denominator; he is in all three squads. Whether you are a rhythm bowler or not, just from a mental perspective, you are always thinking about what needs to be done to find a regular place in all three teams," Kartik said.
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The former spinner underscored the mental toll of such selection decisions on a player's confidence and focus. Kuldeep's presence across all three squad selections suggested his importance to the team's plans, yet his repeated exclusion from playing XIs raised questions about the clarity of the selection strategy and its impact on the player's mindset. Kartik's remarks highlighted the tension between squad selection and playing XI decisions, and the psychological impact on players caught in that gap.
