Kuldeep Yadav’s exclusion from India’s playing XI for the IND vs SL 2nd Test created quite a buzz among the fans and experts, more so following the BCCI’s statement that came after the toss on the wrist-spinner.
The second Test of the two-match IND vs SL Test series got underway on Sunday in Colombo, with captain Shubman Gill winning the toss and electing to bat first.
Gill announced one change to the side that had beaten the Lankans in Galle in the first Test. Gill revealed that Kuldeep was unavailable due to illness, with Saransh Jain, the off-spinner from Madhya Pradesh, getting his Test debut.
Kuldeep Yadav had come under a bit of scrutiny in Galle, where he returned with figures of 1/65 & 0/38, while Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja, both left-arm finger-spinners, made the most out of the Galle pitch.
Kuldeep Yadav was genuinely having viral: Sitanshu Kotak
After the toss, the BCCI released an interesting statement, saying that while Kuldeep Yadav had failed to recover from an illness, he would still be available to play if needed as a concussion substitute.
This statement from the board made the fans feel queasy; they also pointed out that Kuldeep had featured in only 7 out of 22 Test matches since Gautam Gambhir became the head coach.
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was left to defend Kuldeep’s unavailability. In the press conference after day 1 in Colombo, Kotak was asked whether Kuldeep Yadav would have played had he been fit.
His response, though, wasn’t as straightforward as the question, adding that the team management didn’t need to “fake” illness if they wanted to drop Kuldeep.
Kotak replied, “I don’t think that’s a relevant question. If he is not fit, how will he think if he plays or not? When he left Galle, he was genuinely having viral (fever). If the team needs a spinner and then he doesn’t play, there is no need to fake that he wasn’t keeping well. When the guy is not in a position to play, there is no point thinking about whether he would have been fit or not. It would be very unfair to think that way.”
Justifying the Kuldeep-Saransh swap, Kotak pointed out that Sri Lanka had four lefties in their top 7, making a good match-up for the off-spinner Saransh.
“He (Kuldeep) has recovered reasonably well. He looked good when I met him in the evening, and, obviously, he wasn’t available for the match. So, when it comes to whether we go with three fast bowlers or three spinners and them [Sri Lanka] having four left-handers in top [seven], probably it makes sense to play an off-spinner,” the batting coach added.
By stumps on day 1, India are 300/5, boosted by a century from Devdutt Padikkal and a half-century from Gill. Meanwhile, Kotak also confirmed that Pant “should be fine” to bat on day 2. Pant had retired hurt for 3* after copping a blow on his wrist from a short ball from Lahiru Kumara.
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