New Delhi, Aug 6 — Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta believes senior left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s vast experience of bowling on spin-friendly tracks will be crucial for the team during the upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka, starting on August 15.

With many players in the current squad currently on their first Test tour of Sri Lanka, Jadeja and KL Rahul are the only players who have played red-ball cricket before in the island nation. Rahul was here on tours of 2015 and 2017, while Jadeja played here in the 2017 trip, where India won 3-0.

“If we talk about experience, this is the first Test series for many players in Sri Lanka. I think Jadeja is a player who has played before. Even on spin-friendly pitches, it's not like you come and hit the ball, and you get the wicket. Instead, for excelling there, a need for varying speed, line, and length is needed.

“Like we have seen in fast bowling, if you see a green pitch, a lot of the guys get carried away and bowl short balls. There is lateral movement, but the batter doesn't get out. Even on spin-friendly pitches, it's an art to know the right line and length to bowl, which then offers turn.

“Jadeja knows how to use his experience. He has played in pitches like this before, and in Sri Lanka as well. I think it will be important for him to share his experience, to pass on to other new and young players,” said Dasgupta on his YouTube channel on Thursday.

After Thursday’s practice session takes place at Colombo’s NCC Ground, India are scheduled to play a three-day practice match at the same venue from August 7-9. Following this, the visitors will head to Galle for the series opener on August 15. The second and final Test is scheduled to be played at the historic Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) from August 23 to 27.

Commenting on wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who recently enjoyed a successful stint in English domestic cricket with Yorkshire in the One-Day Cup, Dasgupta suggested that a light workload during early practice sessions, where he didn’t bowl and instead worked on his batting, would help manage him easing into Sri Lankan conditions.

“He played five matches for Yorkshire. You can't bowl more than 10 over in a county 50-over game. But he played a lot of back-to-back matches. I think he played five matches in two weeks. I think he bowled a lot. His performance was good.

“I think he has 10 (nine) wickets in five matches and he didn’t concede too many runs. I think he bowled a lot and must be a little tired. That's why they are giving him a break. We all know that batting is very important. I'm sure you'll see him bowling after a couple of days, but it is good,” he added.

He also welcomed head coach Gautam Gambhir’s hands-on approach during India’s extended practice session on Wednesday. “Gautam himself was a very good player against spin. If you add up the last 10-15 years, or if we talk about this century, Gautam was one of the better players of spin.

“It's a good time for him to spend time with the players. He will be able to share their experiences and techniques. Instead of practice sessions, I will call it a preparation camp. I'm sure Gautam must be enjoying it. As a coach, this is what you want.

“You can do actual coaching. On match days, you are not coaching – you are managing players. I'm really happy and glad that the team has reached earlier as they have got time to prepare for this series,” he added.

Stating the long-term benefits of early arrival in Sri Lanka and rigorous training against spin if India are to improve on their fifth position in the World Test Championship standings, Dasgupta said tackling turning pitches remains a key focus area for Indian cricket.

“The idea is to take one Test at a time. Look at preparation. How are you preparing the team for the future? Obviously, you want to win every game or series. But if you want to keep something as a priority, then how can you improve? Especially on spinning tracks, we know how it is at home. That is an area of development and needs a lot of work. I'm glad that they are doing it,” he concluded.

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