Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif gave clear directives to India’s T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer, and revealed that he was unsure about India's bowling lineup.
In the current T20I series against the West Indies, India's bowling performances have fallen well short of expectations. With one game remaining in the series, the West Indies have achieved two outstanding victories over India without Jasprit Bumrah. The West Indies have scored over 240 in both of those victories, including their highest-ever T20I chase in one.
"If you look at the 1983 World Cup final, we won due to our bowling. In the 2011 final, we restricted Sri Lanka to 270 and won. In the 2024 T20 World Cup final, we defended 170-odd against South Africa. So, history says a good bowling team wins you trophies. It is the responsibility of the captain to build a good bowling team. There is a lot of work to be done right now. You need to learn not to compromise on the bowling.
Shreyas Iyer has to make it clear to all bowlers that we need attacking bowling on such pitches where you cannot get away by looking to contain. You only have to look to pick wickets. We are not able to bring perfection and execution at the moment," Kaif said, speaking on his YouTube channel.
Kaif further highlighted that constant chopping and changing in the bowling department by Indian management has failed to yield results, particularly highlighting the scattered use of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi.
"First, they played Bishnoi. Now neither Bishnoi nor Kuldeep are able to play consistently. This is the irony. Zaheer Khan was young in the 2003 World Cup that we lost. But over time, he learned. In the 2011 World Cup, he contributed and helped us win. With time, you learn. But he also got that backing and was not dropped," Kaif explained.
"Kuldeep's form is up and down, but he is not getting that backing. He will also get hit, and if wicket-takers are hit, you have to back them," he further said.
Shreyas Iyer and coach Gautam Gambhir have had to compromise on the bowling given that many of the Indian bowlers are not handy batters. They have often played batters who can bowl a bit to have more balance in the Indian XI.
