21 August,2026 04:02 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Kuldeep Yadav (Pic: File Pic)
In the first Test match against Sri Lanka, Team India emerged victorious by 165 runs at the Galle International Stadium near Galle Fort.
During the match, Team India's mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav managed to pick up one wicket in the hosts' first innings. Later in Sri Lanka's second essay, he went wicketless by conceding 38 runs.
Despite poor performance, Team India's spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has backed the spinner by saying that he has always been a match-winner.
"He's been bowling extremely well. It's just the situation which arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. For me, he has always been a match-winner and he definitely is in the scheme of things," he told the media.
He then explained how it becomes easier for finger spinners to control the soft ball.
"All the spinners are struggling with the soft ball. But for finger spinners (left-arm or off-spinners), it becomes easier. For a leg-spinner, it is that much harder because of the softness of the ball, the seam just goes down. Finger spinners, you can manipulate the fingers and bowl with the speeds you want to bowl. It is a tough proposition for a (wrist) spinner," said Bahutule.
"So, I don't think one game decides on the way he is performing and the way he is approaching. So, that's all he had to adapt to and he tried his best to adapt to that role," he added.
The ongoing Test series is one of the important series for Team India in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The win in the second Test match against Sri Lanka will be crucial for Team India to keep hopes alive for the WTC final.
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Vishwa Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Nishan Madushka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Dilshan Madushanka, Keshara Nuwantha.
(With PTI Inputs)
