Former India batter Mohammad Kaif urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ask the tough questions in the upcoming review meeting regarding the series losses in Ireland and England. Recently, the Men in Blue faced T20I series losses against both opponents, and to make matters worse, India also went down in the ODI series against England. The defeats once again put the pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir, and questions were raised about the team selection. Following the loss, the BCCI confirmed that there would be a review meeting to assess the side’s performance.
Under Gambhir, Kuldeep Yadav has been constantly a part of the squad, but he has warmed the bench more often than not. The left-arm spinner was also excluded from the T20I squad for the series against Ireland, England and Zimbabwe.
The ODI series between India and England saw Kuldeep warming the bench for three matches, a move criticised by several former players. Kaif now wants the BCCI top brass to ask head coach Gambhir and the support staff the rationale behind not playing Kuldeep.
“I don’t know who took the call of not playing Kuldeep at Lord’s. The review meeting will happen. The BCCI must raise questions about the selection of the playing XI and ask for the reasons. They must ask why Kuldeep wasn’t played when Bumrah, Sundar, and Varun weren’t there. England won the final game of the series due to Buttler’s 40 at the end of the innings, and Yadav has gotten the better of him before and has done well in England as well. They must ask the reason,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“The team management can give the reason for batting depth, which is fine. But in the third game, the team’s all-rounder at number eight was injured and was out. Even then, Kuldeep wasn’t given a chance to play, which is beyond my understanding, and the team played all inexperienced bowlers,” he added.
‘No backup’
The former India batter also said that there is no backup for Jasprit Bumrah, and India’s bowling is a major issue for the management ahead of the upcoming World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. He also raised questions about Mohammed Siraj’s absence from the ODI squad in England.
“There is no backup for Bumrah, no backup for Hardik. You don’t have quality bowlers like Shami and Bhuvneshwar. I don’t know why Siraj is also out when all the new guys are being backed. If Bumrah is not there, you are exposed. The young bowlers will work around him. He pushes rivals back, and those bowling with him benefit. But we are too far behind without him. Injury concern is a big thing for us that we don’t even talk about,” said Kaif.
Bumrah was recently ruled out of the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka as he is yet to recover from his knee injury. The BCCI have already named Auqib Nabi a his replacement.
Speaking of the Men in Blue, India’s next ODI assignment would be against the West Indies.
