India's spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule. File

| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Nostalgia may have enveloped Sairaj Bahutule when he entered the SSC Ground. He would have remembered his last Test played at the same venue in 2001, a game India lost. The Indian spin-bowling coach, though, quickly immersed himself in the nets here Friday (August 21, 2026).Later, near the dugout, he spoke to the media about the twirly men under his watch. Many questions centred around Kuldeep Yadav, a fine talent but seemingly rusty at the moment.“Kuldeep has been bowling extremely well. It’s just that due to the situation that arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. He tried his best to execute that role,” Bahutule said.

Kuldeep Yadav on the third day of the first test match between India and Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium. File

| Photo Credit: