Injury Concern? India Explain Why Kuldeep Yadav Didn’t Bowl In 2nd Warmup Innings Vs SL

India allay fears over Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness, stating his absence in the second innings of the warm-up vs Sri Lanka was a precaution.

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Kuldeep Yadav. (PTI Photo)

India men’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has allayed fears over Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness after the left-arm spinner failed to bowl any overs in the second innings of the three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Bahutule said the decision was more of a precaution as Kuldeep wanted to ‘take a break’ and understand where his body was physically ahead of the two-Test series in the island nation.

Kuldeep was one of India’s best bowlers in the first innings, taking two wickets in his 18 overs. He has been under the spotlight for a while now, as it seems like the management has gradually lost their trust in him, across formats. The spinner even spent time with Yorkshire in the English One-Day Cup to regain his rhythm ahead of this tour. His complete absence in the second innings here, thus, raised concerns.

“Kuldeep bowled almost 20 overs in the sense 18 in the match and about two to three overs before the game also. He had a very good outing, and he just wanted to take a break in terms of just understanding how his body is at,” Bahutule said after the warm-up game here, as quoted by PTI.

“The bowlers had a great opportunity to go down and express themselves on a pitch which was slightly on a flatter side on the first day. But as the days went by, there was more turn on to it and definitely a good outing for the spinners,” Bahutule added.

Despite the pitch getting better for spin as the match progressed, India’s second bowling innings was dominated by pacers. Teams rarely play warm-up games strictly by Test paradigms because they are more about getting players accustomed to the conditions and stretching their bodies.

India’s perfect spin quartet?

Bahutule was all praise for the spin combination, which also included Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain, for their unique assortment of skills.

“All four spinners have that uniqueness. We have got experience with Jaddu. We have got great accuracy levels with Manav Suthar. And, obviously, Saransh has got experience. He has performed really well in domestic cricket. And that is how he has earned his spot,” he said. “And Kuldeep, being a wrist spinner, it always helps to have a wrist spinner in the side so that there is variety.”

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Original source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/