Mumbai: Kuldeep Yadav is going through one of the toughest phases of his career. The left-arm wrist-spinner was not given a single game during India’s recent white-ball tour of England, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, despite India losing both series.His IPL form was ordinary too. Before being traded to Lucknow Super Giants, Kuldeep managed just 10 wickets in 12 matches for Delhi Capitals at an average of 38.10 and an economy rate of 10.29.Kuldeep hasn’t enjoyed much luck with the red ball either. India did not play him in a single Test of last year’s five-match series in England, despite several former cricketers backing him. In his last five innings, he has bowled 54.5 overs, conceded 213 runs and taken four wickets, going wicketless three times.He is now under pressure ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo beginning Sunday. Kuldeep took just one wicket for 103 runs in 25 overs in the first Test in Galle. He bowled 14 overs in the first innings and 11 in the second.With Sri Lanka’s left-handers Sonal Dinusha (100 and 84) and Niroshan Dickwella (80 in the first innings) frustrating India’s bowlers, there is growing speculation that off-spinner Saransh Jain could replace Kuldeep to add variety to the attack.Saransh (33) bowled at the nets on Friday. In Galle, Kuldeep was outbowled by fellow left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja.For now, the team management is backing him. India’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said Kuldeep remains in the “scheme of things” for the second Test and called him a “match-winner”.“It all depends on the conditions — what is the need at that particular time and what would be the right combination. Is fast bowling an option? Is adding a spinner an option? Kuldeep has been a fabulous bowler over the years. Yes, the wickets are sometimes slow, and the ball operates differently for wrist-spinners on certain surfaces. But for me, he has always been a match-winner and he definitely is in the scheme of things. We will decide on the combination once we know the conditions,” Bahutule said.
