Why Kuldeep Yadav is not playing 2nd Test vs Sri Lanka: What Shubman Gill and BCCI said | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: India made one change to their playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Sunday, with Kuldeep Yadav missing out after failing to fully recover from a viral infection and Saransh Jain making his Test debut.India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first, with the hosts also handing Test debuts to Kamil Mishara and Pasindu Sooriyabandara.India entered the second Test with an unassailable 1-0 lead after their 165-run victory in the series opener at Galle. However, Kuldeep’s absence meant India had to alter their combination, with Jain coming into the XI as the spin-bowling allrounder.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Kuldeep remains unavailable for selection but could still be used in a specific situation.“Mr Kuldeep Yadav has not fully recovered from his viral illness. He was unavailable for selection in the Playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka. However, he can take the field as a concussion substitute, if required,” the BCCI said.
What Shubman Gill said about Kuldeep Yadav
Gill also addressed Kuldeep’s absence after winning the toss, confirming that an infection had ruled out the left-arm wristspinner.“[Playing XI] Kuldeep, unfortunately, had some infections, so he misses out, and Saransh makes his debut for India,” Gill said.With Kuldeep unavailable, Jain received his first opportunity at Test level. The 33-year-old was presented his India cap by Ravindra Jadeja during the team’s huddle before the start of play.Jain becomes the first India player to make his international debut after turning 33 since Robin Singh in 1998.
Gill backs India’s batting-first call
Gill opted to bat after assessing the Colombo surface and felt it offered better batting conditions than the pitch in Galle.“Batting first, yes. [On the pitch] It looks like a much harder, much better surface compared to Galle. Galle was also a very good wicket, but I think as the game went on, it got a little bit slower and the ball started to turn. We’re expecting the same, but I think for the first two or three days, I think it’ll be a really good wicket to bat on,” Gill said.Reflecting on India’s dominant win in the first Test, Gill rated the team’s performance highly but admitted there was still room for improvement.“[How he would rate the Galle win] I would say probably a nine, because there’s always room for improvement, and I think we played a pretty good match, a decent match. And obviously there were some areas where we could have got a little bit better, but, you know, this is Test cricket. It’s very, very difficult to be able to have a near-perfect game because you’re playing for five days, and to play that dominant and consistent cricket, especially in Test, is hard. But I think overall we had a pretty good match,” Gill said.
- India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
- Sri Lanka Playing XI: Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
