Mohammad Kaif questions India’s playing combination after loss in 1st Test against South Africa

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif reckons India didn’t get their playing XI right in the opening Test match against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Kaif said not playing Sai Sudharsan was a mistake as the left-hander is good player of spin as he plays for his domestic team in Chennai.

Sudharsan had also scored a decent knock of 87 runs in the second Test match against the West Indies at Delhi but he was surprisingly dropped in Kolkata. In Sudharsan’s absence, Washington Sundar batted at number three.

Furthermore, the hosts played with four spinners but Washington Sundar was given a solitary over in the whole match. Kaif said four spinners are not needed in a team. On the other hand, the Proteas played with only two spinners with Simon Harmer taking eight wickets in the match.

Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “The earlier decision was a wrong one. You could’ve made the changes to the squad earlier. Not playing Sai Sudharsan in the first Test was a mistake. Now they are regretting not successfully chasing down the modest total and got stuck on a turning track. Sai Sudharsan comes from Chennai, so he plays spin well. He has also been in form, so he should keep playing. Four spinners are not needed in the side. When the pitch is completely flat and assisting batters, you play an extra bowler. But an extra bowler is not required on a turning track.”

“South Africa demolished us with two spinners. Two good spinners were enough and the pitch did the rest. There is no limitation on overs either. I have played alongside players like Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, they used to bowl until evening. Bowling longer spells also gives bowlers an idea about what lengths to bowl and how the batters are approaching it,” he added.

Kaif said bowlers need extended spells to understand what is the right line and length to bowl in Test cricket.

“Jasprit Bumrah didn’t get a wicket for about half an hour in the last Test. He revealed that he was then understanding how the pitch was behaving. Then he understood what lengths to bowl, he went round the wicket and castled Ryan Rickelton. So, bowlers need extended spells to figure out the pitch and batters. If you play six bowlers, it’s difficult to give longer spells to a particular bowler. You can become slightly confused. Test match is a game of patience, so bowlers must be given extended spells and captain must wait for batters to make a mistake. So, six bowlers are required only on flat tracks.”

India and South Africa will take on each other in the second Test at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, from Saturday onwards.