Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has said that Kuldeep Yadav was not dropped for the second Test against Sri Lanka, but had to be left out due to illness as well. He also replied to a query on whether Kuldeep would have played if he was fit, stating the question as irrelevant as well. As it was expected after Kuldeep Yadav’s struggles in Galle, India handed a
Test debut to off-spinner Saransh Jain in the second Test in Colombo, which started on Sunday, August 23. However, at the toss, captain Shubman Gill also stated that Kuldeep was unavailable due to an illness.

Speaking at a press conference after Day 1 of the Colombo Test, Kotak replied (via The Times of India): “I don’t think this is a relevant question… He genuinely had viral when he left from there (Galle). If the team needs an off-spinner, there is no need to say that he (Kuldeep) isn’t well. If the guy is in no position to play, there is no point thinking about what would have been done if he would have been fit. It’s unfair to think like that.”

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“When we left, only his throat wasn’t well. He has recovered reasonably well. He looked good when I met him in the evening. So it came down to whether we need three fast bowlers or three spinners. And with them having four left-handers in the top order, it made sense to play an off-spinner,” he again shared.

Earlier in the day, the BCCI also issued an official update on Kuldeep Yadav after he was left out of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo. The official statement said that he had not recovered fully from his illness as well.

The statement read: “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.”