India’s left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who managed to take just one wicket in the first Test of the series, is not playing in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, on August 23. At the coin toss, skipper Shubman Gill revealed that Kuldeep has an infection and debutant Saransh Jain has replaced him in the side.
“Kuldeep, unfortunately, had some infection, so he misses out, and Saransh makes his debut for India,” Gill said after winning the toss and opting to bat first.
Soon after, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted an update on Kuldeep.
“Mr Kuldeep Yadav has not fully recovered from his viral illness,” BCCI posted on social media.
“He was unavailable for selection in the Playing XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka.
“However, he can take the field as a concussion substitute, if required.”
Jain got his Test debut cap from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. If he suffers an unfortunate concussion, Kuldeep can come in for him as a like-for-like replacement.
Kuldeep was unimpressive in the Test series opener, taking just one wicket in the first innings. Gill relied more on young Manav Suthar and old workhorse Jadeja to get wickets than Kuldeep.
No debut for Nabi, Brar
Apart from Jain replacing Kuldeep, the rest of the lineup remains the same. It means Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi will return to India without making their Test debuts.
Jain’s unique feat
At 33 years and 145 days of age, Jain became India's oldest Test debutant in the 21st century. Before him, the record was in the possession of Saba Karim who was 32 years and 362 days old at the time of his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2000.
India’s playing XI for 2nd Test vs Sri Lanka
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.