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Kuldeep rested to assess body, not fitness issue: coach
Kuldeep Yadav did not bowl in the second innings of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI because he wanted to assess his body after a heavy workload, India's spin bowling…
The Story in Brief
Kuldeep Yadav did not bowl in the second innings of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI because he wanted to assess his body after a heavy workload, India's spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said on Sunday. Bahutule said Kuldeep bowled 18 overs in the match and 2-3 overs before it, and the decision was purely precautionary, allaying fitness concerns. Other spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain were given extended outings as India evaluated options ahead of the first Test in Galle.
Shubman Gill returned to the game after being kept out on day one as a precaution following a blow to his hand. Devdutt Padikkal scored a century to strengthen his case for a place in the playing XI. India are fifth in the World Test Championship standings and want to make the most of the Sri Lanka series, Bahutule added.
The Indian Opinion
Every time Kuldeep Yadav sits out, rumours of injury or a falling out seem to trail him. The spin bowling coach has now clearly said this break was just a precautionary load check after 20 overs in a warm-up. Yet Harbhajan Singh's lament about Kuldeep warming the bench in white-ball cricket is a valid frustration. The team management prefers spin all-rounders, but a wrist-spinner who took 15 wickets in a World Cup is hard to leave out. The first Test in Galle will be the real test: does the team trust Kuldeep to pick five wickets on a turning pitch?
Sources (3): sportstar.thehindu.com, sports.ndtv.com, rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
