Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane commented on India’s wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav after the second Test against Sri Lanka. The second Test in Colombo ended in a draw, giving India a 1-0 victory in the two-match Test series as well. However,
India struggled to dismiss Sri Lanka’s lower order soon on the fifth day as they batted to make a draw. Ajinkya Rahane said that India missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep Yadav as a wicket-taking option as well.

“I feel they surely missed Kuldeep Yadav here. He is a wicket-taker. You need a third spinner who can pick wickets. They missed a trick by not playing him. I am not saying it was bad to play Saransh. But it is on the team that they left Kuldeep out after just one game. You need Kuldeep in the upcoming Tests. How will you keep him confident if he does not play?” he reflected in a video on his Hindi YouTube channel.

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“It is a special moment for any player to play their first game for the country. How they perform is secondary. I will not judge based on that. Saransh got a chance because of his consistency in domestic cricket. You cannot judge anyone in just one or two games. I am happy for him that he got to debut,” Ajinkya Rahane again said.

While India had many positives, Ajinkya Rahane opined on one concerning aspect after the Sri Lanka series. He added that India needed more wicket-taking bowlers, considering their struggle to pick wickets on the final day of the Colombo Test.

“One concern is that India will have to figure out who their wicket-takers are. When you want to win Tests and series, you need to figure that out. That will be the challenge in New Zealand. You cannot think of one or two days, but need to think of all five days,” he concluded.