India’s decision to leave Kuldeep Yadav out of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka has touched off a great deal of discussion, but batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has put the speculation to rest. Kotak clarified that Kuldeep was unavailable for selection after being affected by viral fever, rather than being dropped for tactical reasons. Kotak was blunt in explaining the situation, stressing that the Indian team management had no reason to fake an illness to keep a player out of the playing XI.
"I don't think this is a relevant question. If he isn't fit, how does it matter whether he plays or not? The moment he left Galle, he genuinely had viral. If the team needs a spinner and then he doesn't play, then there is no need to fake that he wasn't keeping well. When the guy is not in position to play, there is no point thinking about whether he would have been fit or not. It would be very unfair to think that way," Kotak said at the press conference.
Kotak further explained that Kuldeep had made progress in his recovery, but his condition had ruled him out of match when the playing XI was being finalised.
"Kuldeep wasn't well. He had a viral. When we left, only his throat wasn't well. He has recovered reasonably well. He looked good when I met him in the evening. He wasn't unavailable for the match, so it came down to whether we needed three fast bowlers or three spinners. And with them having four left-handers it top order, it made sense to play an off-spinner. So that’s why,” said Kotak