New Delhi: India are reportedly set to drop senior spinner Kuldeep Yadav from the playing XI for the upcoming second Test against in Colombo after his poor show in the recently concluded series opener in Galle.
Saransh Jain is reportedly in line to make his debut if Kuldeep is dropped in the 2nd Test.
As per a report in India Today, 33-year-old Jain is set to make his Test debut for India in the second Test against Sri Lanka in ,with Kuldeep making way for him. Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Jain earned his maiden India call-up for the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka.
India are considering dropping Kuldeep from the playing XI for the second Test in Colombo after he struggled to make an impact with the ball on a surface where spinners got a lot of assistance in Galle. The left-arm spinner managed only 1 wicket across Sri Lanka’s both innings as India won the game comfortably by 165 runs.
Kuldeep failed to make an impact on a pitch, where spin all-rounder Manav Suthar claimed a ten-wicket match haul. Suthar bagged four wickets during Sri Lanka’s first innings and followed it up with a six-fer in their second innings to play a key role in India’s thumping victory.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also enjoyed a decent outing in the Test match, picking up four wickets in the two innings combined. Jadeja picked up three wickets during the hosts’ first innings and got the crucial scalp of Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva in the second innings to break the 95-run stand between him and Sonal Dinusha on Day 5.
Kuldeep, on the other hand, gave away 103 runs off his 25 overs while managing only one wicket in the match. His place in the XI has come under scrutiny after his ordinary show, with the team management reportedly willing to give Jain a chance in the 2nd Test.
Saransh Jain’s career at a glance
Saransh Jain is a veteran all-rounder for Madhya Pradesh, who has been a consistent performer for his side in the domestic circuit. He was handed his maiden India Test call-up for the ongoing series against Sri Lanka after years of toiling in domestic cricket.
He was included in India’s squad in place of Washington Sundar, who missed out due to an injury. Since making his first-class debut in 2014, Jain has played 54 matches and has 188 wickets to his name at an average of 27.30. He has also scored 2223 runs in 54 first-class matches, including two centuries and 14 fifties.