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Former India batter Mohammad Kaif couldn’t help but laud Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for their commitment to the game and how the duo always want to help out the youngsters despite not holding the captain’s armband. He cited the example of the two seniors mentoring young pacers, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi. The first ODI of the three-match series saw the hosts register a narrow 17-run win after Kohli and Kuldeep Yadav returned with standout performances.
Kohli played a 120-ball knock of 135, studded with 11 boundaries and 7 sixes, helping India post 349/8 in 50 overs, and this was backed up by Kuldeep Yadav, who returned with four wickets to help the hosts take a 1-0 lead.
It was Harshit Rana who provided the best start possible to India, dismissing Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock in the second over. Arshdeep Singh joined in by dismissing Aiden Markram, and the Proteas were reduced to 11/3.
Kaif spoke about how Virat and Rohit were constantly in the ears of the young speedsters, and how this helped settle their nerves. He said that the seniors should always be part of the team, as they can share their experience with the younger players.
“Harshit Rana bowled on good lengths. He was bowling short, but here he kept his lengths ahead. He made solid use of the new ball. Rohit and Virat were also giving him advice on the field. This is what I am saying, youngsters will do well under seniors, and this has always been the case with Indian cricket,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“How many times we saw Virat going and talking to Arshdeep and Prasidh. Rohit was giving inputs too. They want India to win even if they are not leading. They don’t care about credit. They spoke a lot to the bowlers, and the results were evident,” he added.
‘Why is Shami not there?’
Despite the visitors being 11/3 at one stage, the Indian bowlers let South Africa get to 332 as Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch and Matthew Breetzke all scored half-centuries. This performance in the latter half raised the question of Mohammed Shami’s omission from the squad.
Shami currently finds himself out of favours despite giving good performances in the Ranji Trophy. Recently, contrasting versions came out from both Shami and the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, clearly showcasing there is more to what meets the eye.
“The question is valid. No matter what kind of pitch it is, a bowler like Shami does not care if it is flat. He has so much class that he finds ways to pick wickets there as well. I don’t know why he is still not playing, because Bumrah and Siraj have been rested,” said Kaif.
“The young pacers would also benefit from his presence. There is no senior pacer to tell the likes of Prasidh, Harshit, and Arshdeep what to do under pressure. India missed this,” he added.
