In a fantastic exhibition of gritty Test batting, Sri Lanka’s middle-order batter Sonal Dinusha held the Indian bowlers at bay for the entire duration of the fifth day of the second Test in Colombo to force a draw. Indian bowlers comprising Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Ravindra Jadeja and Saransh Jain could not bowl Sri Lanka out. The hosts were following on and were six down at the end of the fourth day. One person who was watching all the action from the Indian dressing room was Kuldeep Yadav.
The left-arm wrist-spinner played the first Test and took one wicket, but he made way for debutant Saransh Jain in the second Test. Kuldeep Yadav has not got a proper and continued run in the India playing XI in recent times.
India spin great Ravichandran Ashwin feels sorry for Kuldeep.
“Many people are supporting Kuldeep Yadav, but many are also asking, ‘What did he do in the last match?’ It is very difficult to understand. From a player’s perspective, his confidence is at the lowest at this point. Even if you go underground and search, you will not find it. From the 60th to the 80th over, Jadeja bowls a lot. Why does he bowl a lot there? It is difficult to score runs. That is what they say, but it is also difficult to operate for a spinner. Even an extra spell is not extended, and it is so unlucky. With tailenders batting with Dinusha, if Kuldeep was there with his googly and leg-break, there would have been some X-factor. What wrong has he done? Why is he not getting picked? I really feel sorry for him,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“They will make him play the next Test (next series) now. But two mistakes do not make one right. The first Test had nothing to do with the second. You had already won the first Test, so you could have backed him. I am just not able to accept it,” he said.
At the toss ahead of the second India vs Sri Lanka Test, India captain Shubman Gill said: “Kuldeep, unfortunately, has an infection, so he misses out, and Saransh makes his debut for India.”
Several former players, including former pacer Venkatesh Prasad, appeared unconvinced by the explanation for Kuldeep’s absence. Later, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said there was no need to fake an illness.
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