Former Indian cricket player Mohammad Kaif has raised queries with the management regarding the decision not to play fast bowler Arshdeep Singh in the first two ODIs against New Zealand. He even doubted the choice of experienced pacer Prasidh Krishna in place of Arshdeep, arguing that during a match Krishna can be a little too costly. After the second ODI, Kaif again pointed out that if India intends to win the World Cup (in 2027), they should practice the art of defending sub-par scores, too.
In his YouTube video, Kaif suggested that head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill should pivot ever-so-slightly in the squad for the series-decider at Indore on Sunday.
The question that has been asked goes like this: “Are we saying goodbye to Arshdeep, who is capable of taking wickets and the pubic want to nurture this guy, i.e., Prasidh Krishna? He hardly bowls economyc except in a match or two. In case one opines that 280 runs were too few and therefore India lost, I do not foresee this team lifting the World Cup. They will occasionally under par by 15-30 runs. If you want to be a World Champion, then you must be ready to acquire skills of winning even at 270-280 runs. You have to win with the ball when the scores are below par,” Kaif declared.
The cricketer, aged 45, dismissed the discussion on the factor of dew with the strongest words, insisting that the Indian team should win matches without caring about the weather or ground conditions.
“There will always be dew. I feel that the method to win should get all the attention and these things should get very little attention. Just see how you can bowl and still get the benefit of dew. It will be a new skill that you will have to learn,” he said.
India selected three fast bowlers for the matches that are to be played at Vadodara and Rajkot. The game may be decided by execution rather than experimentation since India’s approach in the decider is likely to be based on the latter.
India’s Holkar Stadium performance has been outstanding, winning all five of their matches at the venue. India defeated England (2006, 2008), West Indies (2011), South Africa (2015), and Australia (2017).