Former Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane said India missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep Yadav in the second Test match against Sri Lanka. The match ended in a draw after Sri Lankan batters, especially Sonal Dinusha, showed all the resistance on the final day.

Indian skipper Shubman Gill had revealed at the toss that Kuldeep was ruled out with an infection. However, BCCI updated that the wrist spinner could be used as a concussion substitute if required. 

India played with Saransh Jain, but the debutant could only take three wickets in the match and he failed to impress.

On the other hand, Yadav had looked toothless in the opening Test match as he had bagged a solitary wicket and had failed to hit the right areas.

“I feel they surely missed Kuldeep Yadav here. He is a wicket-taker. You need a third spinner who can pick wickets. They missed a trick by not playing him. I am not saying it was bad to play Saransh. But it is on the team that they left Kuldeep out after just one game. You need Kuldeep in the upcoming Tests. How will you keep him confident if he does not play?” he reflected in a video on his Hindi YouTube channel.

Rahane said he would not judge Saransh Jain’s performance in his opening Test.

“It is a special moment for any player to play their first game for the country. How they perform is secondary. I will not judge based on that. Saransh got a chance because of his consistency in domestic cricket. You cannot judge anyone in just one or two games. I am happy for him that he got to debut,” Ajinkya Rahane said.

The former Indian batter said India will need to figure out who their wicket-takers are, after the series against Sri Lanka.

“One concern is that India will have to figure out who their wicket-takers are. When you want to win Tests and series, you need to figure that out. That will be the challenge in New Zealand. You cannot think of one or two days, but need to think of all five days,” he said.

India slipped to 51.52 PCT after a drawn Test at Colombo.