Following Team India's stunning loss to the West Indies in the fourth T20I on Wednesday in Hyderabad, former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif delivered a harsh critique of the team's performance.
From the beginning, West Indies batters overpowered the hosts' bowling attack, amassing 247/3 in their 20 overs, with captain Shai Hope leading the way with a stunning 102*.
After several bowlers had a challenging day, Kaif did not hold back when criticizing Shreyas Iyer and the Indian bowlers during the innings break. He questioned their execution. Mayank Yadav, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh were among those who proved costly as India let the West Indies fall just short of the 250-run threshold.
"The Indian bowling unit isn't even able to do the basics right. This entire series, even in the ODIs, they've struggled to complete their overs on time. The fielding hasn't helped this inexperienced bowling attack. So, India lacked in every aspect of the field, which is how you conceded nearly 250.
India's bowling plans were poor for this surface. In Hyderabad, the slow bouncer is the most effective delivery. Think of how many batters Pat Cummins dismissed using the square boundaries with that delivery. India missed a trick by not using the slower bouncer," Kaif said on Cricbuzz.
Kaif even remarked that, even if India managed to chase down the target, the players would have little reason to be satisfied with their bowling performance.
"Even if India wins this match, they can't be happy. Because none of their problems have been rectified, be it bowling, catching, or bowling on time. And the West Indies is a lower-ranked team. This is not Australia or England with great players smashing India. Indian fans will be worried about the bowling," said Kaif.
In response, the West Indies drew the five-T20I series 2-2 as India managed just 223 runs, with Sanju Samson scoring 56 and Keemo Paul taking five wickets.
After the match, Kaif was even more enraged and said that this team would not win the World Cup.
"The truth here as to why the Indian team lost is because of their bowling. The blame should fall on them. 247 is a lot of runs. We lost because we bowled badly. There were too many runs on the board. Also, this is not happening for the first time. What happens in a five-match series is that usually batters win you three games, and bowlers win you the other matches. Here, bowlers are not winning you games at all. You will never win the World Cup with this combination," Mohammad Kaif said on Cricbuzz.
"If you remember the 2024 T20 World Cup, everybody contributed there. Jasprit Bumrah was there; Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were there too. The batters were there too. Some people might say Abhishek Sharma played slowly, but one has to realize that not all batters will perform on the same day. But today, Sanju Samson played well,” he added.
The Indian bowlers have conceded more than 200 runs in every game, with the exception of the first T20I, as India chased down a 172-run target in 14.4 overs. The Indian bowlers were unable to defend a score of 249 in the second T20I, which was won by the West Indies. India scored 223 runs in the third game, which the West Indies narrowly missed by 14 runs.
