Exclusive: Kaif wants Kohli to show more belief in his players
India’s former cricketer Mohammad Kaif urged the current Indian captain Virat Kohli to show more belief in his players and be consistent in his selections. Kaif spoke about the scenarios and selection dilemmas of the current Indian team while conversing with 100MB on Helo Live yesterday (16th May, Saturday). Here are some excerpts from the interview.
The selectors need to talk with the players
Kaif rued the lack of transparency being followed in Indian cricket. He revealed that the selectors never tell any player as to why he/she is being dropped. This can occasionally lead to bitterness which in turn sours the relationship between the player and the selectors. The cricketer wants the selectors to communicate better.
Virat can become the best captain
During the live session, Kaif was asked who according to him is the best captain amongst Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. In response, the UP cricketer backed Dhoni because of his glittering trophy cabinet.
He also added that Kohli has the potential to become the best captain but he makes frequent changes to the team which sends the wrong signal. Kaif requested him to utilise this lockdown to reflect on his selection methods. If the current Indian captain manages to do it, then an ICC Trophy is not far away from India as per the former cricketer.
KL Rahul should give away wicketkeeping
Kaif remains unconvinced about KL Rahul being India’s full-time wicketkeeper. According to him, the team needs to back Rishabh Pant, who is a wonderful future prospect, and allow Rahul to focus on his batting.
Also read: 5 IPL cricketers who proved age is just a number
Shreyas Iyer – the best number four for India
The Indian team has been battling the uncertainty around number four batsman in ODIs for a long time, however, Kaif believes he knows the perfect candidate for this role. The former Indian veteran was forthcoming in pushing Shreyas Iyer’s name for the cause.
Kaif’s take on Indian players participating in overseas leagues
While Kaif understood BCCI’s rationale for not allowing their players to take part in the foreign leagues since the move may undercut IPL’s novelty. However, speaking from a cricketer’s point of view, he would have wanted to play in such leagues.
Delhi Capitals are very well balanced
Mohammad Kaif, assistant coach of Delhi Capitals, felt confident about the balance achieved by his team. He described the youngsters as the foundation of his team with cricketers such as Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin adding their tremendous experience to the setup. Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma add enormous value to the side. The signing of Shimron Hetmyer makes the team even more destructive. Kaif believed that the team is very well balanced and solid.
