India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has expressed confidence in left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, despite his challenging performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka. In Galle, Kuldeep conceded over 100 runs in 25 overs, claiming just one wicket. Gambhir emphasized the importance of results over individual performances, stating, “Ultimately, we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. And more importantly, sometimes, it’s up to the captain as well (team selection). It’s not about under-bowling. It’s about getting the result. For me, I think that is more important.” While Gambhir did not confirm whether India would retain the same lineup for the upcoming second Test, his support for Kuldeep suggests a belief in his potential to bounce back.
“But if you don’t have five proper bowlers, then you won’t be able to rotate your senior bowlers as effectively, and they will have to come back early. “When you play five proper bowlers, someone will eventually get under-bowled. But it’s not about someone not delivering and getting under-bowled. It’s the captain’s or the management’s decision as to who will be most effective in those particular conditions. If it’s a flat wicket, ultimately, we have only one solution. We have five proper bowlers. “So, when you have five proper bowlers, you can rotate your bowlers better. We saw this in the last Test match as well. Even if Kuldeep didn’t bowl a lot, we had five proper bowlers who can get you a wicket at any stage. You want them to come in and create an impact. So, I always say that the team that has five proper bowlers, which is not a luxury, always has a better chance of winning a Test match,” he added
“If it’s a very flat wicket, the bowlers will have to work hard, maybe put in a lot of extra effort because, as I said, you’ll have to take 20 wickets.
Gambhir said having five bowlers will help the skipper rotate the attack more effectively during a match.
