# Sivaramakrishnan tells Kuldeep to slow down, Kartik backs spinner

2026-10-22T03:13:27+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has advised Kuldeep Yadav to bowl slower through the air to regain his rhythm, contradicting advice from others who told him to bowl quicker. Sivaramakrishnan said he first reassured Yadav after social media criticism, then identified a misalignment in his action: his front leg was landing too far across, locking his back leg and preventing full body-weight transfer into the ball, The Indian Express reports. Separately, former spinner Murali Kartik has backed Yadav for a more consistent place across formats, describing him as a match-winner and a handy batter. Kartik said he is ‘in the middle’ on India’s all-rounder-heavy approach but argued specialist bowlers hold their nerve under pressure, CricTracker reports. Kartik also defended team management’s decision to keep 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench, citing the success of openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, India Today reports. India’s New Zealand tour begins on 22 October 2026, with Yadav the only specialist spinner in the Test squad.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Indian Express frames the story through Laxman Sivaramakrishnan’s technical fix for Kuldeep Yadav, leading with the advice to bowl slower and highlighting the slander on social media. CricTracker leads with Murali Kartik’s backing of Yadav for a regular spot, contrasting India’s all-rounder preference with the value of specialist bowlers. India Today reports Kartik’s separate defence of Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer for keeping 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench, citing the success of the established opening pair. The three sources cover different subjects, Yadav’s action, team composition, and a young player’s wait, so no direct stance conflict arises. Kartik features in both CricTracker and India Today, offering support for Yadav and for the management's handling of Sooryavanshi respectively. India Today adds a concrete watch item: Sooryavanshi has not yet debuted on home soil despite his Asian Games promise.

## Coverage

Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
- indianexpress.com (neutral report) <https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/kuldeep-yadav-rhythm-laxman-sivaramakrishnan-advice-new-zealand-10931255/>
  Leads with Sivaramakrishnan's technical fix, frames advice to 'bowl quicker' as unwanted
- crictracker.com (neutral report) <https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/murali-kartik-backs-kuldeep-yadav-for-regular-spot-despite-indias-all-rounder-preference/>
  Frames Kartik's support for specialist bowlers against India's all-rounder trend
- indiatoday.in (neutral report) <https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/vaibhav-sooryavanshi-india-opportunity-gautam-gambhir-shreyas-iyer-nz-vs-ind-3020997-2026-10-19?utm_source=rss>
  Reports Kartik's defence of Gambhir and Iyer for benching Sooryavanshi

This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Update, 22 October 2026: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-10-22T03:23:07+00:00.

Tags: India cricket team, Kuldeep Yadav, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Murali Kartik, New Zealand
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How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/
