Kuldeep rested to assess his body, not due to fitness issue, says Sairaj Bahutule
Kuldeep Yadav did not bowl in the second innings of India’s warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo on Sunday because he wanted to assess his body after a heavy workload, India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said. Bahutule described the decision as precautionary and sought to allay concerns over the left-arm wrist-spinner’s fitness.
Kuldeep had bowled 18 overs in the three-day warm-up game and put in two to three overs prior to the match, prompting the rest, Bahutule said. India used the fixture to evaluate spin options ahead of the first Test in Galle, giving extended spells to Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain to gauge how the pitch behaved and how players adapted to local conditions.
“Kuldeep bowled almost 20 overs in the sense 18 in the match and about two-three overs before the game also. He had a very good outing and he just wanted to take a break in terms of just understanding how his body is at,” Bahutule said after the warm-up game here.
“Manav bowled about 14-15 overs, Jaddu bowed about 14-15 overs. So, they got a very good outing, they understood how the pitch reacts and I think it was a great prep for them,” he added, outlining the match workload given to the other spinners. Bahutule also noted that the surface offered little assistance initially but began to turn as the game progressed, providing useful practice for the slow-bowling group: “The bowlers had a great opportunity to go down and express themselves on a pitch which was slightly on a flatter side in the first day. But as the days went by, there was more turn on to it and definitely a good outing for the spinners.”
On acclimatisation and role preparation, Bahutule stressed the mix of experience and newcomers in the squad and the need for them to adapt lines, lengths and field placements: “Most of the guys have come here, experienced guys, Jaddu has already played here. But the new guys like Manav and a few others, Saransh Jain, they need to just adapt to what will be the ideal lines, what will be the ideal lengths and obviously the field sets, which is very much important.”
India also worked on the batting depth, encouraging lower-order players to spend time facing bowlers in nets and giving them match opportunities, with specific batting chances for bowlers such as Gurnoor Brar. “All the lower-order bowlers, who basically bat in lower order, their contribution will always be very useful to achieve a good total in the Test match. And that is the entire process. We are encouraging them to bat as much as possible in the nets,” Bahutule said.
Shubman Gill’s recovery from a blow to his right hand during a net session on Thursday was described as straightforward; Gill skipped batting on the opening day as a precaution but returned later to score runs and participate in catching drills. “It was just a precaution more than anything else. And he has been absolutely fine. He has been doing his training. And the management decided that we could just take that precaution of not putting him into that first day,” Bahutule said. He also commented on Gill’s preparation for facing Sri Lankan spin: “Shubman takes his preparation very seriously. And he is a very meticulous boy. And he understands that whatever is the demand for that particular series with the attack, which has been successful for the Sri Lankan team. His preparation is done accordingly.”
Devdutt Padikkal’s century in the warm-up strengthened his case for the playing XI, though Bahutule said the final decision would depend on pitch assessment in Galle: “He expressed himself. He batted beautifully. And he is ready to, you know, whatever the decision, once we go to Galle, we will see the pitch.” On the balance among four spinners — Jadeja, Suthar, Jain and Kuldeep — Bahutule highlighted differing attributes and the selection complexity, adding: “All four spinners have that uniqueness. We have got experience with Jaddu. We have got great accuracy levels with Manav Suthar. And, obviously, Saransh has got experience. He has performed really well in domestic cricket. And that is how he has earned his spot,” he said. “And Kuldeep, being a wrist spinner, it always helps to have a wrist spinner in the side so that there is variety.”
Bahutule framed the series as important within the World Test Championship cycle and said India’s objective was clear ahead of the first Test in Galle: “WTC cycle is a very important cycle. And every series is important. So, our effort is that, back of the mind, we definitely want to go there and win. And be a part of the finals and win the WTC also.” The team will finalise combinations, particularly among spinners, after assessing conditions in Galle for the opening Test.
