Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has expressed understandable concerns about India’s Test series against England, particularly with the team trailing 0-1 and several key senior players unavailable. Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the first two Tests due to personal reasons, while KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are set to miss the second Test in Vizag due to injuries. Despite the presence of talented youngsters, Kaif is anxiously awaiting Virat’s swift return.
When questioned about potential replacements in Kohli’s absence, Kaif highlighted the potential of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal to step up.
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Kaif commented, “What I feel is that an Indian ODI team is playing Test cricket at the moment. Be it Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, or Shubman Gill, all are strokemakers. Gill loves to hit shots but doesn’t have much confidence in his defense. So, he has to make adjustments to his defensive technique to see off good bowling spells. Even Shreyas Iyer is an aggressive player,” as reported by the Times of India.
Kaif also suggested that Sarfraz Khan, who received his maiden Test call-up ahead of the Vizag encounter, could be considered. However, he acknowledged the challenge for the Indian batting unit in the absence of Kohli, Rahul, and Jadeja.
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Expressing hope for Virat Kohli’s return after the second Test, Kaif remarked, “I hope it isn’t too late till Virat Kohli comes. Dhruv Jurel or, in his current form, even Sarfaraz Khan can get a look in. But in the absence of KL Rahul and Jadeja, the Indian batting will weaken, no doubt about that. Axar may have to bat at No. 8, and that’s why I feel Washington Sundar can get a look-in because they want batting till No. 9.”
