Former India batter Mohammed Kaif said insecurity over playing spots has stalled the progress of the Test batters in home conditions under the current team management helmed by Gautam Gambhir.
On Sunday, India’s batters put on an abject display on a crumbling Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata against South Africa in the first Test that they proceeded to lose by 30 runs. Opting for four spinners, including two all-rounders in Washington Sundar and Axar Patel, India moved away from a specialist batter, Sai Sudharsan, at number three for the match. Though Sundar put on an impressive and stoic show in his new slot, Kaif called out the instability over playing XI selections, with batters being rotated quite often.
Citing a lack of support for batters such as Sarfaraz Khan, who has been demoted from the national radar, Kaif said on his YouTube channel: “Whichever players are playing, they don’t have a feeling that someone is standing for them. Koi backing nahi hai, sab darr ke khel rahe hain. (There is no backing; everyone is playing with fear.) Sab dar ke khel rahe hain, koi khul ke nahi khel raha (Everyone is playing in fear, nobody is playing with freedom).
“If Sarfaraz Khan’s place is not confirmed after 100 scoring a hundred. Even after scoring 100, he’s not able to make a comeback. Sai Sudharsan scored 87. He doesn’t play the next Test match. I think there is a lot of confusion in this team.”
No belief in themselves
Kaif said that with positions under scrutiny, batters could find themselves jittering further when the management opts to play on turning tracks.
“Players ko apne pe belief kam ho gaya hai, thoda insecurity bhi aa gyi hai (Players are not believing in themselves, there is insecurity as well). When there is insecurity and you come to play at turning tracks, you won’t be able to do well,” he added.
Kaif added that Sundar manouevered the conditions better than his peers because of his upbringing in Tamil Nadu, playing more often than not on turners.
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“Why did Sundar play well? He comes from Chennai. He has grown by playing on turning tracks. He knows how to use his feet and which balls to play with soft hands. How to keep the bottom hand.”
“Sai Sudharsan also comes from Chennai. If he were there at No. 3 and Sundar at No. 8, you would have won this Test match. He plays spin very well. Sudharsan comes from Chennai. He’s in form and scored 87. He’s not there in the playing XI,” Kaif added.
