IND vs AUS: “India chose quantity over quality”- Mohammad Kaif lashes out at Shubman Gill for picking too many ‘part-time options’ in XI during Perth ODI

Mohammad Kaif was baffled with India not playing Kuldeep Yadav in the Perth ODI.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif shared his take on India’s loss against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series. He lashed out at captain Shubman Gill for his poor team selection, saying that the team chose quantity over quality. 

The start of the ODI series didn’t go in India’s favour as they suffered a disappointing seven-wicket loss in the first game at Perth Stadium in Perth. It was a complete poor performance for them as they first failed with the bat and then struggled to get going with the ball. 

In what was a rain-affected game, India struggled to score big. The top order failed completely, but thanks to contributions from Axar Patel (31) and KL Rahul (38), they posted 136 runs on the board in their quota of 26 overs. 

With the ball, Arshdeep Singh provided India with the breakthrough of Travis Head, but they couldn’t remove Mitchell Marsh, who played a patient knock of an unbeaten 46 to take his team home. Thanks to his heroics, Australia took a lead of 1-0 in the series. 

In this team, there were too many part-time options – Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif, while talking about the loss, pointed out that there were too many part-time options in the XI. The former Indian cricketer also pointed out how bowlers struggled, expressing his concerns over pacers not taking responsibility. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he said: 

“In this team, there were too many part-time options. Nitish Reddy is not a complete bowler, and even Sundar struggled to make an impact on this pitch. Harshit Rana would be disappointed too. The bowlers had a chance to turn the game around, even with a low total. But when will they take that responsibility? You can’t expect to win only when Bumrah or Shami are playing,” Kaif remarked.

Kaif also lashed out at Shubman Gill, saying that not picking Kuldeep Yadav was a blunder for him. He added:

“It was a test of Gill as captain too. He didn’t pick Kuldeep, a genuine wicket-taker. You tried to cover every base but missed the key element. Shane Warne thrived in Australia across formats. I was disappointed Kuldeep didn’t play. Kuhnemann got two wickets, and by leaving Kuldeep out, India chose quantity over quality.”

India will now be looking to make a strong comeback in the second match. The game will be played on October 23 at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide. 

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