Former India cricketer turned commentator Mohammad Kaif believes star spinner Kuldeep Yadav is yet to convince captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir with his bowling. His comments came ahead of the two-match away Test
series against Sri Lanka, with the first game set to commence on August 15 in Galle as well.

Speaking during a discussion on his YouTube channel (Mohammad Kaif), he said: “However, Kuldeep doesn’t get consistent opportunities, so there is still some doubt over whether he will play or not. We assume that he will, but he hasn’t convinced the Indian team with his bowling yet. Whether it is Shubman Gill or Gautam Gambhir, they don’t seem completely convinced by Kuldeep’s bowling. He remains in the squad, but he doesn’t always get to play. So, I’m still a little doubtful about whether they will play him or not.”

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However, Mohammad Kaif added that he does not expect uncapped seamer Auqib Nabi to feature in the first Test, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna likely to play as the frontline pace attack alongside spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, and Ravindra Jadeja as well.

Mohammad Kaif said: “No, I don’t think he (Auqib Nabi) will get a chance in the first match. Because, if you look at it, I’m considering Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar can also contribute with the bat, so he could come in at No. 8. Nabi might not get the opportunity to play the first match because Mohammed Siraj will play the Test.

“On a slow pitch, I’m looking at two fast bowlers, along with Kuldeep, Jadeja and Manav Suthar. If we talk about the bowling combination, Siraj will be there, and the team also has Prasidh Krishna. Yes, Krishna could get a chance because he is a relatively experienced bowler. So, they could go with two fast bowlers in Siraj and Krishna, along with three spinners in Suthar, Jadeja and Kuldeep,” he concluded.