TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: Will he, won’t he? Questions surrounding Kuldeep Yadav reached a fever pitch when the chinaman stayed away from the second training session in a row. While the official word from the Indian camp was that he was being rested from the first session, KL Rahul, who was also absent on Friday, turned up for a hit on Saturday.Kuldeep staying confined to the hotel room further raised eyebrows, as this is highly unusual, especially for an away fixture and particularly when he has bowled only 25 overs in the Galle Test. For a bowler who hardly missed training even when benched for all the Tests in England last summer, his absence in Colombo turned attention to Saransh Jain.The 33-year-old got a good workout on both days, and his routine on the eve of the match has only thickened the subplot. Moments after reaching the ground, he went straight to the pitch to visualise before moving to the practice surface. Giving him company was Team India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, and the duo spent some time talking and doing spot bowling before it was Saransh’s turn to put the pads on.The left-hander switched nets and faced different combinations of net bowlers and throwdown specialists, watched by both head coach Gautam Gambhir and men’s senior selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar. The moment his batting session ended, Gambhir had a long chat with Saransh and even gave him a pat on the chest before the off-spinner left for the dressing room.
India’s Saransh Jain during a practice session ahead of the second Test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka, in Colombo. (PTI)
Not just the cues from India’s final net session, but Sri Lanka’s addition of left-handers also points more strongly towards Saransh. Home captain Dhananjaya de Silva confirmed that Kamil Mishara, a left-hander, will take the opener’s slot, and there is also the option of Sahan Arachchige, another southpaw, for the middle order.Gambhir kept his playing XI cards close to his chest at the pre-match press conference but asserted that the focus will be on assembling a bowling attack which gives them 20 wickets. Whether it will feature Saransh or Kuldeep wasn’t revealed, but “all options” are open.
We know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. And more importantly, sometimes, it’s up to the captain as well, where he feels that if his two other spinners can get him wickets, looking at the conditions, what pace he wants a certain spinner to bow
Gautam Gambhir
“We will try and pick the best bowling attack which will get us 20 wickets. You can score 1000 runs in Test cricket, there is no guarantee you are going to win a Test match but if you get 20 wickets, you have all the probability and possibility of winning the Test match. We will try and take the best attack that can get you 20 wickets, whether you have got three left-arm spinners in it or an offie or three seamers – we will have all our options open,” said Gambhir.In the Galle Test, Kuldeep wasn’t captain Shubman Gill’s preferred option as he played the role of a third spinner in an attack also featuring Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja. The two finger spinners did the bulk of the bowling, and Gambhir reiterated that it was all about “getting the result”.
India’s Kuldeep Yadav appeals for an unsuccessful wicket on day three of the first test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka, in Galle, Sri Lanka. (PTI)
“Ultimately, we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. And more importantly, sometimes, it’s up to the captain as well, where he feels that if his two other spinners can get him wickets, looking at the conditions, what pace he wants a certain spinner to bowl. And it’s not about guys underbowling and it’s about getting the result. For me, I think that is more important,” explained Gambhir.“When you play five proper bowlers, someone will eventually get under-bowled. And that is what Test cricket is all about. It’s not about someone not delivering and getting under-bowled. It’s about who the captain feels or the management feel can be the most threatening in that particular condition,” he added.
I think the conversation I have had with Kuldeep is just bowl your good spell rather than looking desperate to take wickets.
Gautam Gambhir
Kuldeep was far from threatening across the two innings in Galle, returning with only one wicket. Bahutule revealed that Kuldeep was adapting and making changes based on the role assigned to him. Both Gambhir and Bahutule backed the chinaman, and the head coach revealed a very interesting conversation he had with the 31-year-old after the fixture.
India’s Kuldeep Yadav bowls on the third day of the first test match between India and Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium, in Galle on Monday. (ANI Photo)
“I think the conversation I have had with Kuldeep is just bowl your good spell rather than looking desperate to take wickets. Because sometimes, as a wrist spinner, when you are looking and you are desperate to take wickets, I think your control can go away as well. We rate Kuldeep very highly and we know how successful and how threatening he can be in every condition given to him. But again, I think the same thing, as I said, that we’re going to try and pick the best type of what can deliver in these conditions,” said Gambhir.There were no direct revelations, but plenty of undertones and cues have only increased the intrigue around Kuldeep vs Saransh.
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