# Pujara hints Kuldeep Yadav may be dropped for second Test 2026-08-22T15:23:13+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has indicated that Kuldeep Yadav could be dropped from the playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka, with debutant Saransh Jain likely to replace him. Pujara said he has heard chatter about the change. The second Test begins in Colombo on August 23. India lead the two-match series 1-0 after a 165-run win in the opener. Kuldeep took only one wicket in that match and was underbowled in the final innings. Saransh, a bowling all-rounder, trained on the eve of the game while Kuldeep was not part of the session, according to Times Now News. If the change is made, India's likely XI would include openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by Devdutt Padikkal, captain Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain, and pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources report the same potential change with similar detail and no editorial slant, making this a straight team-news story. Neither source questions the selection logic or suggests controversy, so the coverage is uniform neutral reporting. The key point for readers is that Saransh Jain would strengthen the batting depth compared to Kuldeep Yadav, which may be the team management's reasoning. Watch the toss on August 23 for confirmation of the playing XI. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - sports.ndtv.com (neutral report) Leads with Pujara's hint, no additional analysis or editorialising. - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Straight team preview, details likely XI without any slant. This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-22T15:42:00+00:00. Tags: Cheteshwar Pujara, India, Kuldeep Yadav, Saransh Jain, Sri Lanka Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kuldeep-yadav-may-be-dropped-for-saransh-jain-hints-pujara/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kuldeep-yadav-may-be-dropped-for-saransh-jain-hints-pujara/#story-in-brief 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/