“Little variety to trouble batters” - Gavaskar on Saransh Jain; speaks on Kuldeep's absence in recent drawn second SL v IND Test

Gavaskar stated that he was concern about the sameness in Indian bowling.

Sunil Gavaskar pointed out the sameness in the Indian bowling attack, particularly in the spin department, after the Sri Lankan lower order managed to eke out a draw in the recent second Test in Colombo. India did win the two-Test series 1-0, but the draw hurt their chances of WTC 2027 final qualification.

Sonal Dinusha, who had made a century in the first innings, made a terrific 133* and, with the tailenders, made sure Indian spinners and pacers were kept at bay when the two teams shook hands.

Sunil Gavaskar analyzed the Indian bowling attack, especially debutant off-spinner Saransh Jain, who managed three wickets in the match and came for special mention. He admitted that the off-spinner may have been a little anxious, but he also expressed concern about the lack of variety in his bowling and India's failure to dispatch Sri Lanka's tail.  

“The debutant off-spinner looked an honest trier with little variety to trouble batters at this level. Sure, he could have been nervous considering that he was making his debut, yet there was no deception through the air and an over-reliance on the pitch for assistance,” Gavaskar wrote in his Mid-Day column.

“If they couldn’t dismiss the lower-order batting on a pitch where there was some turn, it does make Indian cricket fans a bit nervous. There was a sameness to the bowling. On a pitch that got slower as the match progressed, the fast bowlers struggled to get the ball up towards the batters’ shoulders. Here perhaps the extra pace and height of Gurnoor Brar may well have come in handy,” he added.

Gavaskar also talked about Indian team management’s decision to drop Kuldeep Yadav for the second Test, saying that the left-arm wrist-spinner might have troubled the Sri Lankan lower order. He also stated that someone with a good yorker or extra pace might have been more apt.

“Kuldeep Yadav’s absence also did not help, as a good wrist spinner can get the lower-order batters out in a jiffy most of the time. A fast bowler with a good yorker is also terrific to have in the side when the opposition batters are looking good. So Bumrah was badly missed, especially when the batters thwarted India on the final day of the second Test,” Gavaskar added.

India’s next Test assignment will be when they visit New Zealand for a two-Test series and a ten-game white-ball series.