India spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule has backed Kuldeep Yadav after his quiet outing in the first Test against Sri Lanka, saying the left-arm wrist spinner remains an important part of the team’s plans ahead of the second Test in Colombo.Kuldeep picked up just one wicket in 25 overs across both innings in Galle, while Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar shared 14 wickets between them.Bahutule said Kuldeep’s role in Galle was different because of the conditions and the nature of the Kookaburra ball.“He’s been bowling extremely well. It’s just the situation which arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. For me, he has always been a match-winner and he definitely is in the scheme of things,” Bahutule told reporters at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.He explained that wrist spinners face a bigger challenge once the Kookaburra ball becomes soft, while finger spinners can adjust their pace and grip more easily.“All the spinners are struggling with the soft ball. But for finger spinners (left-arm or off-spinners), it becomes easier. For a leg-spinner, it is that much harder because of the softness of the ball, the seam just goes down.“Finger spinners, you can manipulate the fingers and bowl with the speeds you want to bowl. It is a tough proposition for a (wrist) spinner.“So, I don’t think one game decides on the way he is performing and the way he is approaching. So, that’s all he had to adapt to and he tried his best to adapt to that role.”Bahutule said Kuldeep had to keep changing his pace and trajectory as the pitch slowed down during the Test.“We had to see how the trajectory or the speeds work in every session. As the days went by and as there was a demand for different types of speeds and different types of trajectories, he definitely was making an effort to bowl that.“I think he was playing his role. So, he was operating as a wrist spinner in a way where obviously the wicket got slower and slower each day. But I’m sure he was bowling the way he normally bowls,” he said.
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