India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has played down concerns surrounding Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness after the left-arm wrist-spinner did not bowl during India’s second innings in the three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Bahutule clarified that Kuldeep’s absence was a precautionary decision, with the spinner keen to assess how his body was responding ahead of the two-match Test series.

Kuldeep had an encouraging outing in India’s first innings, claiming two wickets after bowling 18 overs. He had also bowled a couple of overs before the match, taking his overall workload close to 20 overs. Given the workload, the team management decided not to push him further during the second innings.

“He bowled almost 20 overs in the sense 18 in the match and about two to three overs before the game also. He had a very good outing, and he just wanted to take a break in terms of just understanding how his body is at,” Sairaj Bahutule said after the warm-up match.

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Kuldeep’s fitness has attracted additional attention because of the uncertainty surrounding his role in India’s plans across formats. The spinner recently spent time playing for Yorkshire in the English One-Day Cup as part of his preparations for the Sri Lanka tour, making his workload management particularly important.

Bahutule also praised India’s bowling group for adapting to changing conditions during the practice game. The pitch initially offered limited assistance to spinners but gradually became more favourable as the match progressed.

“The bowlers had a great opportunity to go down and express themselves on a pitch which was slightly on a flatter side on the first day. But as the days went by, there was more turn on to it and definitely a good outing for the spinners,” he said.

Interestingly, India relied more heavily on their pace bowlers during the second innings despite the increased assistance for spin. Bahutule explained that warm-up matches are not always conducted according to strict Test-match strategies, as the primary objective is to help players adjust to local conditions and manage their workloads.

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The spin coach was also impressed by India’s four-pronged spin attack comprising Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain. He highlighted the different qualities each bowler brings to the squad. Bahutule pointed to Jadeja’s experience, Suthar’s accuracy and Saransh’s strong domestic record before highlighting Kuldeep’s wrist-spin as an important source of variety. With the Sri Lanka Tests approaching, India’s spin options could play a crucial role on turning pitches.