Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth believes ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav‘s place in the Indian playing XI for the second India versus Sri Lanka Test could be in jeopardy. The wrist spinner could be replaced by debutant Saransh Jain at Colombo, according to Kris Srikkanth. Kuldeep struggled in the opening Test, registering figures of 1/103 in 25 overs.
Kris Srikkanth’s take on Kuldeep Yadav
Kris Srikkanth was seen interacting on his YouTube channel. Kris Srikkanth pointed out that Kuldeep Yadav might miss out on selection for the 2nd Test Match after his performance in the opening Test match wasn’t match-winning.
“I am not sure Kuldeep Yadav will play the second Test. He will be dropped, and Saransh Jain will play.” said Kris Srikkanth.
Gautam Gambhir Backs Kuldeep Yadav
Head Coach Gautam Gambhir backed Kuldeep Yadav after his lacklustre outing at Galle, advising the spinner to focus on delivering quality spells rather than chasing wickets. Coach Gambhir also defended India’s five-bowler strategy, stressing on building depth in the longest format.
“For me, I think winning Test matches, you try and pick the best attack that can get you 20 wickets, whether you have got three left-arm spinners in it or an off-spinners or three seamers and we have all our options open. Ultimately, we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. More importantly, sometimes it is up to the captain as well,” said Coach Gautam Gambhir.
“He feels that if his two other spinners can get him wickets looking at the conditions, what pace he wants a certain spinner to bowl. It is not about guys under-bowling. It is about getting the result. For me, I think that is more important,” he added.
Kuldeep Yadav seems to have fallen down the pecking order across formats, with Ravichandran Ashwin claiming that the wrist spinner might have lost captain Shubman Gill’s trust. However, coach Gautam Gambhir hints at India sticking to its five-bowler strategy ahead of the second Test in Colombo as well.
If Saransh Jain (*right arm off spinner yet to make his debut) gets a game instead of Kuldeep Yadav, then the strategy would be changed & another flair will be added to the bowling attack. We have to wait for the toss, but it looks unlikely that Kuldeep Yadav would be dropped on the basis of a handful of matches.
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