Gill and Gambhir questioned over Kuldeep Yadav after India’s Galle Test win

After India’s opening Test in Sri Lanka at Galle, captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir faced scrutiny over their handling of Kuldeep Yadav when India won the match by 165 runs and the left-arm wrist-spinner took only one wicket.

India are in a transition phase under Gill and Gambhir, moving away from the red-ball strategies of the past decade while introducing a number of new players; selection choices have been examined closely since this era began. Kuldeep Yadav, despite occasional dips in form, has been viewed as one of India’s prominent all-format specialists and, until the Galle Test, had played 18 Tests for India with 79 scalps to his name.

In Galle, spin featured prominently but Gill used Manav Suthar early in both innings and brought Ravindra Jadeja on later, with Jadeja sharing the bulk of the overs with Suthar; Kuldeep bowled 25 overs across the two innings while the other two spinners bowled nearly 44 overs each. Kuldeep’s single dismissal in the match prompted questions about his role in the side and whether he will receive similar responsibility in the next Test.

Selectors and critics point to a pattern: Kuldeep is no longer treated as India’s first-choice spinner in the Test XI, and his extended exclusion during the India tour of England 2025 intensified debate over the perceived lack of faith from Gill and Gambhir. The coaching staff appear to have preferred team compositions that did not always include Kuldeep unless a three-spinner approach was selected for a match.

Gambhir’s tenure has included a willingness to hand debuts and opportunities to younger players, with the selections of Washington Sundar and Manav Suthar for the longest format described in the coverage as excellent calls. Those choices have placed additional competition on Kuldeep, with considerations such as lower-order batting and balance cited when younger spinners have been picked ahead of him.

Before the Galle Test, Kuldeep’s last overseas Test appearance dated back to 2019 at Sydney during India’s tour of Australia, and his recent home performances against the West Indies and South Africa were noted as prolific. Meanwhile, Saransh Jain is waiting to make his debut for India, adding another selection option for the management.

The immediate selection decision will come for the second Test at Colombo, where Gill and Gambhir must finalise the playing XI and decide whether Kuldeep will retain a significant bowling role or whether Saransh Jain will be handed a debut.