Gambhir said that the team management considers Kuldeep a high-quality bowler, but "we will try to pick the best bowling attack that can perform well in such conditions". Gambhir said that the team management considers Kuldeep a high-quality bowler.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has said that his team management considers Kuldeep Yadav a "high-quality bowler." He added that he isn't being judged solely on the number of wickets he takes. Kuldeep has been in the news ever since he didn't get a single Test wicket in India's 10 Tests during their tours of Australia and England.
Australian pitches were extremely helpful for fast bowlers, but his absence was particularly felt in England, where India's spin bowling lacked edge with the old ball. He was also not played during the ODI series in England, when India needed a different option in the middle overs.
Although Kuldeep played all five of India's home Tests in 2025-26, he struggled to find his rhythm against South Africa. India lost both Tests, and on several occasions, Kuldeep's ball turned less than finger spinners. He came into this series with both sympathy and scrutiny. In the Galle Test, he took just one wicket in 25 overs, and among the three left-arm spinners, he was clearly the third choice behind Shubman Gill.
Kuldeep started well, but later made some mistakes and didn't get as much help from the pitch as other spinners. This raises the old question: is he losing his rhythm because he's playing less cricket, or is he struggling to find his rhythm because he's getting less opportunities.
When asked if Kuldeep is being made to bowl less, Gambhir said, "After all, we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. And more importantly, sometimes it depends on the captain. If he feels that his other two spinners can get more wickets in those conditions, then he decides at what speed and how much to use a particular spinner.
"It's not about making someone bowl less. It's about getting a result. That's what's most important to me. When you play with five specialist bowlers, one bowler is bound to get fewer overs. That's how Test cricket is. It's not about a player not performing or bowling less. It depends on who the captain or team management deems most dangerous in that particular situation."
"My conversation with Kuldeep has been to focus on bowling good spells rather than being desperate to take wickets. Because sometimes as a wrist spinner, if you get too desperate to take wickets, you can lose control. We have long considered Kuldeep a high-quality bowler and know how successful and dangerous he can be in whatever conditions he is given. But we will still try to select the best bowling attack that can perform in such conditions."
From Titans net bowler to Test hero: The long-awaited rise of Manav Suthar
India also has the option of Saransh Jain in the spin department , although he is more of a batting all-rounder. There may be a temptation to play him, as in the Galle Test, the Sri Lankan batsmen put the most pressure on the Indian bowling when two left-handed batsmen were at the crease. Furthermore, Sri Lanka has replaced one of their right-handed openers with a left-handed batsman. However, Gambhir said they will select the best combination capable of taking 20 wickets.
0 Comments