“I guess, if free-hit comes in, it will reduce the percentage.”

The suggestion might seem outlandish, but India's spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule offered it with a straight face: free-hits for no-balls in Tests. The white-ball rule rightly has no place in a format where bowling discipline with regards to overstepping is demanded and accepted as a baseline, more so among spinners. But India can't quite seem to find that line, and the numbers are beginning to warrant serious introspection.

On Day 4 in Colombo, where Sri Lanka fought through grit and counter-attack to drag the fixture into the final day of the series, India's spinners bowled five no-balls, taking their match tally to 10. None cost them a wicket here, but that doesn't make the problem entirely inconsequential.

"If you bowl a no ball, there will be a consequence. I am no guardian of the rules but if it [free-hit] comes, obviously, they [no-balls] will definitely reduce. No team would want to bowl those no-balls and give that extra ball and give those extra runs," Bahutule offered. He has been with the Indian team for less than three months and has already seen an ignominious record attach to his spinners: Their tally of 10 no-balls in the ongoing Test is the third-most by a spin attack. If they bowl 6 more of those, they will lead that erring pack.

This is not an offence in the isolation of this fixture. Go back just one week and you will spot a costly no-ball in the second innings of the Galle Test: Ravindra Jadeja imparted turn and drift to lure Dhananjaya de Silva into nicking the ball to KL Rahul at first slip, but the Sri Lankan captain smiled and carried. The loud and jarring no-ball siren rang out to point out Jadeja's error. Dig into data with a bigger sample size and you'll see two of India's match-winners high up in the list.

Since TV umpires were confirmed to call no-balls - from the England-Pakistan Test series of late 2020 - only Kagiso Rabada, Ben Stokes and Jasprit Bumrah have bowled more no-balls than Jadeja. Intriguingly, Jadeja bowled just 18 no-balls from his debut in 2012 to the point where TV adjudication was sanctioned. But since then, he's overstepped 89 times.

Most no-balls in Tests since August 2020

Among spinners, he has 49 more than Pakistan's Noman Ali, the next on that list. In this timeline, as many as 16 bowlers have delivered more than 40 no-balls and only Jadeja is the spinner among them. The numbers stack up against the left-arm spinner but this isn't just a Jadeja problem. India now have an inexperienced spin attack that has combined to bowl 15 no-balls this series, while their Sri Lankan counterparts have bowled just five.

"To be honest, definitely, it is something which we have been working on. It is not that we are ignoring it," Bahutule said. "It is definitely a concern at times, but generally when the bowler is putting in that effort, trying to see how he can create that opportunity and get the wicket in, in situations where wickets are not coming through, he has a tendency to push himself. But that is not an excuse."

Bahutule is spot-on: it definitely is no excuse, not for spinners at least. In this series, Jadeja has bowled eight no-balls, Saransh Jain has bowled six while Suthar has one, which happened because he knocked the stumps in his bowling stride on a delivery.

"A lot of work has been put in making sure with Jadeja about where the take-off point is. Generally, they [bowlers] are good in the nets, but sometimes, as I have mentioned, the effort when they put in for that particular delivery is a bit more and they tend to overstep. But the conversations are ongoing and I am sure they will rectify it and get better."

Jadeja bowled just 18 no-balls from his debut in 2012 to the point where TV adjudication was sanctioned. But since then, he's overstepped 89 times

Habits in a match - good and bad, can stem from how preparation in the lead-up goes. Players often talk about how hours put into batting and bowling in the nets enhances muscle memory. But that possibly can't bifurcate between the good and bad habits if left unchecked. Are bowlers delivering with the leeway of not having to be mindful of where the crease is in the nets? Bahutule says no.

"Reminders are given during nets also. It is similar to a match situation," he offers. "We take every session as seriously and it is monitored from the side view. Sometimes, I stay or the other coaches stand as umpires. We are monitoring spinners and fast bowlers [for no-balls]. It is an important area. So, we definitely give importance to it and it is a work-in-progress," Bahutule opined.

India are in the middle of a spin-bowling transition, with Ravindra Jadeja carrying the burden of being the leader. The spinners with him in Colombo are a debutant and another in only his third outing in the format. It’ll take time for them to find consistency and cohesion as a unit. For now, though, they could be better served by making the basic expectation of not overstepping their top priority, even without the consequence of a free-hit.

"I guess, if the free-hit comes in, it will reduce the percentage. But again, as I mentioned, there are times where they want to push themselves and see how they can get the best of their bowling in that particular situation. It's just that they overstepped. Obviously, the take-off point is talked about. They understand what is happening.And definitely, a process will be put forward in terms of minimising them," Bahutule said.