India spin coach backs Kuldeep to bounce back in 2nd Test: He's a match-winner

Kuldeep Yadav endured a quiet outing in Galle, but India's spin coach Sairaj Bahutule has backed the wrist-spinner to bounce back in the second Test in Colombo. With India leading the series 1-0, Kuldeep remains firmly in the team's plans despite Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja's impressive returns in the opener.Kuldeep Yadav took only 1 wicket in the Galle Test vs Sri Lanka. Courtesy: AFPKuldeep Yadav may not have produced the numbers expected of him in the first Test against Sri Lanka, but India’s team management has no intention of writing off their premier wrist-spinner after one underwhelming outing. Spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has backed Kuldeep to bounce back in the second Test in Colombo, insisting that he remains a match-winner and firmly part of India’s plans.Kuldeep finished the Galle Test with just one wicket from 25 overs across the two innings. His only success came in the first innings, when he had Kamindu Mendis caught by Shubman Gill for 14. He conceded 65 runs from 14 overs in that innings and bowled another 11 overs for 38 runs without taking a wicket in the second.“He's been bowling extremely well. It's just the situation which arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. For me, he has always been a match-winner and he definitely is in the scheme of things,” Bahutule told reporters at the Sinhalese Sports Club.The contrast with India’s other two spinners was stark. Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja shared 14 wickets between them, with Suthar leading the attack with 10 wickets in the match and Jadeja contributing four. Suthar was particularly effective in the first innings, striking four times as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284, while Jadeja claimed three wickets. WHY KULDEEP FOUND IT TOUGHER IN GALLEBahutule believes the conditions worked against Kuldeep’s particular style of bowling. With the Kookaburra ball becoming softer after the initial shine disappeared, the wrist-spinner found it harder to extract the same assistance as the finger spinners.“All the spinners are struggling with the soft ball. But for finger spinners (left-arm or off-spinners), it becomes easier. For a leg-spinner, it is that much harder because of the softness of the ball, the seam just goes down,” Bahutule explained. Bahutule stressed that Kuldeep had been asked to adjust his trajectory and pace as the pitch slowed down. “So, I don't think one game decides on the way he is performing and the way he is approaching,” he said, adding that the spinner had tried his best to adapt to the role demanded of him.With the second Test beginning in Colombo on August 23, Kuldeep now has an opportunity to respond on a different surface. India took a 1-0 series lead with a dominating 165-run win in Galle, which also happened to be their sixth victory in Tests in a row on Sri Lankan soil.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Aug 21, 2026 15:31 IST