IND vs SL: 'Kuldeep Yadav is extremely talented and a thinking bowler,' says Paras Mhambrey

Kuldeep Yadav. Pic/AFP

India bowling coach -- for the ongoing limited-overs series in Sri Lanka -- Paras Mhambrey feels spinner Kuldeep Yadav will take a lot of confidence from his performance in the ongoing series and definitely stands a chance to make it to the T20 World Cup squad that is to be played in UAE in October-November.

"Kuldeep is extremely talented and he is a very thinking bowler. It all boils down to execution and the credit needs to be given to him. It has been challenging, he has been in and out of the team. He needs to work hard to maintain his position which he is doing, and I am happy to see that. I am sure he will take a lot of positives from this. The T20 World Cup is around the corner, it really increases his chances to be part of the squad," he said in the virtual post-match press conference at the end of the second T20I on Wednesday.

With Krunal Pandya testing COVID-19 positive, seven players had to isolate as close contacts and that saw India handing debuts to the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad. Mhambrey said the youngsters were told to play freely without any pressure.

"You are going to be nervous when you make debut for your country, we know that. The discussion was always to give them a free hand, there was no pressure on them. We knew that in terms of batting, we only had 5-6 batters with whom we can plan for this game. There were no such instructions on how to play, they (Gaikwad and Padikkal) would be disappointed but as you say every opportunity they get to represent the country, they will learn," he said.

Commenting on Navdeep Saini's injury status, he said: "In Navdeep's case, the medical team is handling him, we will assess his situation maybe tonight or tomorrow morning and take a decision accordingly. Once the decision is finalised and conveyed to the selectors and coach, and if needed, we will make changes. We have to assess and wait till the medical team to informs us."

While there was some doubt on whether the match and series will go ahead after Krunal's positive test result, the bowling coach said head coach Rahul Dravid was in constant touch with the BCCI officials. "Actually, Rahul Dravid was in constant touch with the BCCI officials. We were told that whatever decision will be taken, we will be informed. We were prepared that we might have to go ahead and play the game. We went in with our preparations, even if the game would not have been there, we would have continued with our preparations," he said.

The bowling coach is also pleased with the pool of bowlers. "Pretty happy with their performance, I have seen them in the last few years. Very pleased with the way they have progressed. I am happy in terms of the pool (seamers and spinners) we have. We have had some low-scoring and high-scoring games and in general, I am happy with the way they have played," he said.

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