While Kuldeep played all the five home Tests in 2025-26, he struggled for rhythm against South Africa, often turning the ball less than the fingerspinners as India lost both the Tests. He came into this series with equal sympathy and scrutiny. In Galle he managed just one wicket in 25 overs, clearly the third choice for Shubman Gill among the three left-arm spin bowlers.

Kuldeep started off well, but then errors crept in and also he didn’t draw as much misbehaviour from the pitch as the other spinners. It raises the classic question of whether he is getting to play less cricket because he has lost rhythm or whether he has lost rhythm because he is playing little cricket.

“Look, ultimately we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is,” Gambhir said when asked about his being potentially underbowled. “And more importantly, sometimes it’s up to the captain as well, where he feels that if his two other spinners can get him wickets looking in those conditions, what pace he wants a certain spinner to bowl.

“It’s not about guys underbowling. It’s about getting the result. For me, I think that is more important. When you play five proper bowlers, someone will eventually go underbowled. And that is what Test cricket is all about, but it’s not about someone not delivering and going underbowled. It’s about who the captain feels or the management feels can be most threatening in that particular condition.

“The conversation that I’ve had with Kuldeep is just try and bowl a good spell rather than looking desperate to take wickets because sometimes as a wristspinner when you’re looking and you’re desperate to take wickets, I think your control can go away as well. For a very long period of time we rate Kuldeep very highly and we know how successful and how threatening can he be in every condition given to him. But again, we’re going to try and pick the best attack of what can deliver in these conditions.”