Former India National Cricket Team batter Mohammad Kaif did not agree with the Indian cricket team management’s decision to drop Bhuvneshwar Kumar after only three matches. Kaif stated that the team should have supported the fast bowler instead of dropping him from the playing eleven.
The Indian cricket team dropped Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the fourth T20I match of the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand. Without Kumar in the side, India suffered one of their heaviest defeats in the format by runs: an 87-run defeat against the Blackcaps in Auckland.
Bowlers of both India and New Zealand leaked runs
Mohammad Kaif noted that in the ongoing series, bowlers of both teams have been leaking runs, not Bhuvneshwar Kumar alone. By snubbing the 36-year-old from the bowling attack, the Men in Blue management might have sent a wrong message to him, as Kaif stated.
“I was surprised that Bhuvneshwar was dropped. There are at least 10-11 bowlers from both teams, and each of them has a high economy rate. Everyone is leaking runs. So I cannot understand why he was dropped,” he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
India lost the match, but won the series before the Auckland T20I match
As Kaif mentioned. the Auckland match was not a must-win game for the Indian cricket team. It was a prestige fight for the New Zealand National Cricket Team as they lost the series after being defeated by the Shreyas Iyer-led team in the first three matches of the contest. The remaining two games were dead rubbers for the visitors. On a dead rubber, they could have taken another bet on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who made his comeback after four years, through the first match of the series.
“If everyone is going for runs, you cannot pick out one person like this. He is coming back after four years. You have also won the series. It is not like a do-or-die situation that you had to make this change. I do not agree with this. He should have gotten the entire series before deciding,” he added.
Mohammad Kaif explains why Team India should support Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Kumar went for 139 runs in 12 overs with an economy rate of 11.58, taking only one wicket. But there is no doubt that Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a proven candidate with skills and capabilities. When a player has capabilities, he deserves backing from the team, as Mohammad Kaif felt.
“When you are aware of his capabilities, you should have stood by him even if two or three games were bad. Anyhow, there is no Bumrah and all the new bowlers. I understand we are disappointed, and he was not in the flow that we expected. I am sure Bhuvneshwar realises this himself.”
“But he was not the only one getting hit. You would get a clear picture after giving him all five games. This is a hasty call. Everyone is getting hit anyway,” the former Team India cricketer stated in the same video.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
