What to make of Kuldeep Yadav’s below-par show in Galle?

PC- Revsportz/Debasis Sen

Kuldeep Yadav’s absence from India’s training session at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) on Friday sparked speculation over his place in the XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka, which begins on August 23. The left-arm wrist-spinner was the least impressive of India’s three slow bowlers in Galle, finishing with figures of 1/103 from 25 overs.

In his two most recent Test matches in 2026, Kuldeep Yadav has picked up 6 wickets across 3 innings.
However, India’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule backed Kuldeep ahead of the second Test, insisting that he bowled extremely well in Galle despite having to adapt to the demands of the match.

“Kuldeep has been bowling extremely well. It’s just that the situations that arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. So that’s all he had to adapt to, and he tried his best to adapt to that role and tried to execute as much as possible,” Bahutule said on the sidelines of India’s practice session.

Kuldeep bowled with a flatter trajectory in Galle than his usual approach of giving the ball more air. Bahutule was seen having a conversation with Kuldeep during Sri Lanka’s second innings and explained that the change was dictated by the conditions and the demands of different stages of the game.

According to Bahutule: “We had to see how the trajectory or the speeds work in every session. And as the days went by, and as there was a demand for different types of speeds and different types of trajectories, he definitely was making an effort to bowl that.”

Bahutule added: “He was playing his role. Each bowler has his own strengths. He was operating as a wrist-spinner in a way, where obviously the wicket got slower and slower each day. But I’m sure he was bowling the way he normally bowls.”

Kuldeep struggling with the softer ball was an issue as well.

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The post What to make of Kuldeep Yadav’s below-par show in Galle? appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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