Bahutule backs Kuldeep Yadav to recover ahead of Colombo Test
India spin coach Sairaj Bahutule on August 21 at the Sinhalese Sports Club backed Kuldeep Yadav to bounce back ahead of the second Test in Colombo. Bahutule said the wrist-spinner remains a match-winner and continues to be part of India’s plans.
Kuldeep finished the Galle Test with one wicket from 25 overs across the two innings. His solitary success came in the first innings when he had Kamindu Mendis caught by Shubman Gill for 14. He conceded 65 runs from 14 overs in that first innings and bowled another 11 overs for 38 runs without taking a wicket in the second. India won the Galle Test by 165 runs to take a 1-0 series lead, which was their sixth victory in Tests in a row on Sri Lankan soil.
“He's been bowling extremely well. It's just the situation which arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. For me, he has always been a match-winner and he definitely is in the scheme of things,” Bahutule told reporters at the Sinhalese Sports Club. The team management has no intention of writing off the premier wrist-spinner after one underwhelming outing. Bahutule made the comments ahead of the second Test.
Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja shared 14 wickets between them in Galle, with Suthar leading the attack with 10 wickets in the match and Jadeja contributing four. Suthar struck four times as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284 in the first innings, while Jadeja claimed three wickets in that innings. Those contributions accounted for the bulk of India’s spin success in the match.
“All the spinners are struggling with the soft ball. But for finger spinners (left-arm or off-spinners), it becomes easier. For a leg-spinner, it is that much harder because of the softness of the ball, the seam just goes down,” Bahutule explained. He said the change in the Kookaburra ball after the shine had diminished made it harder for wrist-spin to obtain the same assistance as finger-spin. Bahutule linked those conditions specifically to the challenges Kuldeep faced in Galle.
Bahutule also stressed that Kuldeep had been asked to adjust his trajectory and pace as the pitch slowed down. “So, I don't think one game decides on the way he is performing and the way he is approaching,” he said, adding that the spinner had tried his best to adapt to the role demanded of him. The coach framed the selection and role as part of a longer-term approach rather than a judgment based on a single match.
With the second Test beginning in Colombo on August 23, Kuldeep now has an opportunity to respond on a different surface. India enter that match holding a 1-0 lead in the series.