India spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has allayed concerns over Kuldeep Yadav‘s fitness after the left-arm wrist-spinner did not bowl in the second innings of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI.Kuldeep bowled 18 overs during the three-day fixture and had also delivered two-three overs before the match. According to Bahutule, the decision to keep him out of the second innings was purely precautionary, with the spinner keen to assess how his body was responding to the workload.“Kuldeep bowled almost 20 overs in the sense 18 in the match and about two-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,” Bahutule said after the warm-up game.With Kuldeep rested, India gave their other spinners extended spells. Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar bowled around 14-15 overs each, while Saransh Jain also had an opportunity to make an impression as the team assessed its options ahead of the first Test in Galle.“Manav bowled about 14-15 overs, Jaddu bowled about 14-15 overs. So, they got a very good outing, they understood how the pitch reacts and I think it was a great prep for them,” he said.The surface initially offered limited assistance to the slow bowlers but began to turn as the game progressed, giving India’s spinners a useful understanding of the conditions they could encounter during the Test series.“The bowlers had a great opportunity to go down and express themselves on a pitch which was slightly on a flatter side in the first day. But as the days went by, there was more turn on to it and definitely a good outing for the spinners,” Bahutule said.For India, the warm-up was primarily about acclimatising to local conditions and giving players an opportunity to understand how the pitches behave.“Preparation is a very integral part of coming on any tour. The reason of us coming at this particular juncture is to make sure that we adapt to the conditions, understand how the pitches are,” he said.“Most of the guys have come here, experienced guys, Jaddu has already played here. But the new guys like Manav and a few others, Saransh Jain, they need to just adapt to what will be the ideal lines, what will be the ideal lengths and obviously the field sets, which is very much important.”Gill’s recovery was another positive for India. The captain had been hit on his right hand during a net session on Thursday and was kept out of batting on the opening day as a precaution.He returned later in the game, scored useful runs and also participated in catching drills. Bahutule said there was no lingering concern over the injury.“It was just a precaution more than anything else. And he has been absolutely fine. He has been doing his training. And the management decided that we could just take that precaution of not putting him into that first day,” Bahutule said.The India captain has also been preparing specifically for the challenge posed by Sri Lanka’s spin attack.“Shubman takes his preparation very seriously. And he is a very meticulous boy. And he understands that whatever is the demand for that particular series with the attack, which has been successful for the Sri Lankan team. His preparation is done accordingly,” he said.Bahutule added that Gill had been working on different scenarios in the nets, with India’s coaching staff attempting to recreate situations he could face once the Test series begins.The warm-up also provided opportunities for India’s lower-order batters to spend time in the middle. The team has been encouraging its bowlers, including Gurnoor Brar, to improve their batting contribution.“All the lower-order bowlers, who basically bat in lower order, their contribution will always be very useful to achieve a good total in the Test match. And that is the entire process. We are encouraging them to bat as much as possible in the nets,” Bahutule said.Devdutt Padikkal further strengthened his case for a place in the playing XI with a century in India’s first innings. However, Bahutule indicated that the final decision would depend on the conditions in Galle.
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“He expressed himself. He batted beautifully. And he is ready to, you know, whatever the decision, once we go to Galle, we will see the pitch.”India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, making the upcoming series an important one in their campaign.“WTC cycle is a very important cycle. And every series is important. So, our effort is that, back of the mind, we definitely want to go there and win. And be a part of the finals and win the WTC also,” he said.The selection of the spin combination in Galle could be one of India’s key decisions. With Jadeja, Suthar, Jain and Kuldeep all offering different qualities, Bahutule said the competition was a positive for the team.“All four spinners have that uniqueness. We have got experience with Jaddu. We have got great accuracy levels with Manav Suthar. And, obviously, Saransh has got experience. He has performed really well in domestic cricket. And that is how he has earned his spot,” he said.“And Kuldeep, being a wrist spinner, it always helps to have a wrist spinner in the side so that there is variety.”With the warm-up completed, India will now turn their attention towards the opening Test in Galle, where the conditions and pitch will ultimately determine how the visitors balance their spin attack.
