Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif said that there is a lack of clarity in the current Indian team when it comes to selections and said no one is guaranteed their spot in the squad under Virat Kohli’s captaincy.
Kaif said that players are selected on recent form and past performances are not given weightage while picking the team under the current leadership. He said that earlier, players were given more backing, but that is “not how Kohli plays”.
“There is no clarity in this Indian team and we need to accept it. Virat Kohli doesn’t play this way. He sees who is the most in-form player and picks him in the XI,” Kaif told Sports Tak.
“This is Kohli’s way. At the end of the day you need to judge how many trophies he has won as a captain and he hasn’t been able to win an ICC trophy,” he said.
“This team and this management do not give as much importance to past performance. Virat Kohli focuses on what form you are in at the current point. This is why Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan got opportunities. This is why Shikhar Dhawan missed a few games, Rohit Sharma was rested.”
Kaif compared the current scenario to that under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.
“Ganguly would keep backing his players, which is the classic way of handling things," Kaif said of the current BCCI president's captaincy style. "That's what a leader does. But this isn't Kohli's way.”
“No one’s place is fixed in this team and even the players know that. This is an old discussion now, and even the players have moved on now and have decided this is the way to go,” Kaif concluded.
India will next be in action in the ODI series in Sri Lanka followed by a three-match T20 International series in the island nation.