Bahutule flags spinners’ no-balls during second Test at SSC

Sairaj Bahutule, India’s spin-bowling coach, said spinners bowling no-balls was a concern during the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on August 26, 2026. He made the comments at a media interaction while the match was in progress.

A long-standing clip of Rohit Sharma joking about Ravindra Jadeja’s no-balls resurfaced as context for the discussion, and Bahutule noted that among India’s no-balls in the match, 10 were delivered by spinners with Saransh Jain and Jadeja singled out. Asked about the issue, Bahutule said: “It is something we have been working on. It is a concern but generally when the bowler is putting in that effort, trying to see how he can create that opportunity and get a wicket in situations where wickets are not coming, he has a tendency to push himself. But this is not an excuse. A lot of work has been put in with Jadeja, and with Saransh, about where the take-off point is.”

When questioned whether the habit carried over from net sessions, Bahutule said coaching staff address it in practice: “Reminders are given during nets also. It is similar to a match situation. We take every session seriously, it is monitored from the side view. It is monitored generally. Sometimes, I stand as an umpire and other coaches do too.”

Bahutule also made an offhand suggestion about match penalties, saying tongue-in-cheek that a sanction akin to a limited-overs free-hit might curb the error in Test cricket.

On the Sri Lankan batting, Bahutule described Sonal Dinusha as “a thorn in India’s flesh” and credited the Indian spin unit with restricting the visitors despite aggressive batting. He added: “Each one played their role. Saransh was defensive, Manav Suthar played his role and Jadeja was tight.”

Bahutule’s remarks came during the Wednesday media interaction in Colombo while the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground remained under way.